Video: Nathan MacKinnon Back on Skates in Vegas

LAS VEGAS – Hello from Sin City, where the Colorado Avalanche hope to keep their division title hopes alive tonight with a victory over the torrid Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. While this story will be updated soon, I thought I’d at least bring some good news in the form of video of Nathan MacKinnon taking part in the morning skate here, in a regular sweater.

Does that mean he’s playing tonight against the Golden Knights? We may not know that for sure until game time (don’t forget, Jared Bednar isn’t publicly disclosing lineup info. these days to the media). That said, MacKinnon looks fast and in a good mood down there as I type. MacKinnon has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury.

UPDATE: MacKinnon is playing, Jared Bednar said.

Here’s some video:

Again, this is not a declaration that he’s in tonight. But it’s still good news, that he’s back on skates.

Vegas can clinch the division with a win tonight. If they do, the Avs will be locked into a first-round matchup with the Minnesota Wild. It remains to be determined which team would have home-ice advantage, though the Avs entered today with a game in hand on the Wild. Vegas would play No. 4 St. Louis if they win.

NOTEBOOK: Bednar said, of the two guys, Sam Girard is more likely to return sooner than Brandon Saad. Bednar said, while Saad is kating and working out at home, he’ll “need a little more time” than Girard. I think Sam will be good to go for Game 1 of the playoffs. … Bednar said Matt Calvert and Logan O’Connor remain out “longer term.” … He also said that Byram is skating some days and some days he isn’t. It seems as if he’s still dealing with concussion issues. He was injured by Vegas’ Keegan Kolesar with that Lambeau Leap in Denver during a game. … The Avs are -115 favorites to win @SuperBook Colorado, and there are a bunch of odds boosts available for the game. Check ’em out here.