Avalanche get good news on Nathan MacKinnon's status after not playing

The Colorado Avalanche had to play their first game out of the Olympic break without Nathan MacKinnon.

It doesn't sound like that'll be a problem going forward, though.

The Denver Gazette's Evan Rawal reported Wednesday night that MacKinnon is all set to play on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.

That pretty much affirms that MacKinnon was just getting an extra day of rest after returning from Italy, where his Canadian team lost in the gold medal game on Sunday to the United States.

Given that the Avalanche had a back-to-back right away, it seems prudent for the Avalanche to give MacKinnon a breather like that.

Colorado won on Wednesday night over the Utah Mammoth anyway, 4-2.

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As usual, MacKinnon has been amazing this season. He has played in 55 games, in which he has 40 goals and 53 assists for a total of 93 points.

The Avalanche have been the best team in hockey. After their win Wednesday, they now have a record of 38-9-9. They have outscored their opponents by 76 goals.

They're dangerous even without MacKinnon, but obviously having the superstar on the ice makes everything work even a little bit better for Colorado.

They proved they can play without him in their win over the Mammoth. But they'll sure be happy to see him back in action and doing his thing in an Avalanche uniform once again.

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