Nathan MacKinnon fights Roope Hintz, leaves bloodied

This one had been building all night. MacKinnon and Hintz had been going at each other the whole game, and with Colorado up 2-1 in the 2nd period, 2 of the best centers in the league finally squared up.

Spittin' Chiclets

@spittinchiclets

ROOPE HINTZ POPPED MACKINNON 👀

Superstar centers don't usually do this. Hintz isn't a fighter, and MacKinnon had gone from 2022 until this season's opener without dropping the gloves. That opener was a 8-4 win over the Kings, and he answered Brandt Clarke after Clarke said a word to him he didn't like. Clarke was the 9th fight of MacKinnon's career. Now he's 2 for 2 in October and the season isn't a month old.

There was some history in this one, too. The last time the Avs played in Dallas, the 2 of them came together in the corner and Hintz got hurt. Hintz also missed time late last season with a hamstring injury, so dropping the gloves with the guy on the other side of that wasn't a casual decision.

Hintz won the fight. MacKinnon went down the tunnel with his face bloodied, and the American Airlines Center crowd gave it the loudest cheer of the night. The damage came from a cut he picked up from a stick in Winnipeg last week. Hintz's last punch drove MacKinnon's visor into his nose and opened it right back up.

Corey Masisak

@cmasisak22

Nathan MacKinnon was already sporting a scar on his nose from Winnipeg last week. That last Hintz punch hit MacKinnon's visor and the visor caused the bloody mess. Hintz has an ice wrap on his hand in the penalty box.

Corey Masisak@cmasisak22

Nathan MacKinnon and Roope Hintz just dropped the gloves and went AT IT. Some real distaste in that one. MacKinnon is bleeding profusely and had to to the room for some repairs. The last time the #Avs were here, those two came together in the corner and Hintz was hurt.

Here's where the fun stops being fun for Avalanche fans. According to Corey Masisak, who covers the Avs, MacKinnon is now tied for 2nd in the NHL in major penalties. That's not a category you want your franchise center near the top of. Jared Bednar needs MacKinnon scoring, not getting stitched up in the room after a 5-minute major.

To be fair, MacKinnon didn't miss much. He got repaired and was back on the Colorado bench about 12 minutes after the fight. Then the nose opened up again, at the exact moment he drew a penalty that gave Colorado a 5-on-3. One referee was announcing the call while the other was talking to MacKinnon about the blood. Bednar used his timeout to get him cleaned up so he could play the 26 seconds of 2-man advantage.

Corey Masisak

@cmasisak22

Martin Necas has scored on the 5v3. Second rebound. Toews and Landeskog with assists. MacKinnon got the play started. Pretty, pretty good use of the timeout there by Jared Bednar. It allowed MacKinnon to be out there. 3-1 #Avs

The timeout worked. MacKinnon started the play, Martin Necas scored on the 2nd rebound, and Colorado went up 3-1. It was a good night for MacKinnon's reputation as a tough guy and a worse one for his face. The question for the rest of the season is whether Bednar wants his best player at the top of the fight standings. The Stars may also be keeping an eye on Hintz's iced hand. With 2 fights in 6 games, MacKinnon has clearly decided he's done letting people take liberties with him or his teammates. Whether that holds over an 82-game season is up to him.