Nathan MacKinnon absolutely works over Brandt Clarke in his first fight in 4 years

The Colorado Avalanche kicked off their 2026-27 campaign in the most entertaining way possible on Wednesday night, rolling over the Los Angeles Kings 8-4 at Ball Arena in a game that had absolutely everything. Goals, special teams chaos, shorthanded tallies, and one moment that had every hockey fan on the internet losing their minds before the final buzzer even sounded.

That moment, of course, belonged to Nathan MacKinnon.

MacKinnon Drops the Gloves and Drops Brandt Clarke

With less than seven minutes remaining in the third period and the game already well in hand, MacKinnon and Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke got tangled up in an individual battle. The two were exchanging jabs and slashes before MacKinnon decided he'd had enough and tossed his gloves to the ice, inviting Clarke to do the same.

Clarke accepted. That turned out to be a poor decision.

MacKinnon absolutely worked Clarke over, landing a series of right hands that left no doubt about who won the bout. It was MacKinnon's first fight in four years, and he looked like he'd been waiting for the opportunity. After the scrap ended, MacKinnon ripped his helmet off and tossed it to the ice before heading to the penalty box to serve his five-minute fighting major.

In his postgame interview on TNT, MacKinnon was asked about his surprisingly polished technique. His answer? "A little Muay Thai over the years. I don't use it much. I don't know. Lucky win there." When pressed on whether he actually trains with someone in the martial art, MacKinnon grinned and said, "Just to take my anger out sometimes, you know."

As for what sparked the whole thing, MacKinnon kept it simple. He said Clarke used a word he didn't appreciate, and that was all it took. His teammate Cale Makar offered some insight into what it's like watching MacKinnon flip that switch, telling reporters that MacKinnon can turn into the Hulk when he gets angry and that he personally would never want to fight the guy. Makar praised MacKinnon's technique and warned that opposing players shouldn't mess around when he gets into that mode.

A Complete Performance Beyond the Fisticuffs

The fight was obviously the headline, but MacKinnon's night was spectacular well before the gloves came off. He scored twice during a four-goal second period, including one on a 5-on-3 power play just 23 seconds into the frame. His second tally came off a slick feed from Martin Necas. For a guy who just won his first Rocket Richard Trophy, it was a fitting way to open the new season.

The Avalanche's power play was absolutely lethal, going 4-for-5 on the night. Brock Nelson opened the scoring on the man advantage early in the first period, a nice moment for a player who had a rough go in last season's playoffs. Artturi Lehkonen potted a pair, both coming with the second power-play unit on the ice. Parker Kelly chipped in with a gorgeous solo effort on a two-on-one, beating former Avalanche netminder Darcy Kuemper cleanly. And Gabriel Landeskog added a goal late to push the lead to 7-4 and effectively slam the door shut.

The one blemish for Colorado was the penalty kill, which surrendered two shorthanded goals to the Kings. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who the team is counting on as their number one this season, would probably want both of those back. The Kings also scored on a delayed penalty late in the game, but overall it was a dominant showing from the Avalanche.

All told, the second period alone featured six goals, four from Colorado and two from L.A., with four of those six coming during Avalanche power plays, for better and for worse.

For a team with Stanley Cup expectations, it was about as loud an opening statement as you could ask for. The power play looked dangerous, the star players showed up, and MacKinnon reminded everyone that he's not just the best offensive player in the league but also someone you absolutely do not want to provoke. If the rest of the 84-game regular season looks anything like this opener, Avalanche fans are in for one wild ride.