Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon named to 2017-18 NHL’s second all-star team

Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche competes in the Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater during the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena on Jan. 27, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. Nathan MacKinnon may not have won MVP at the NHL Awards on Wednesday, but he didn’t leave empty-handed.

The Avalanche’s star center was named to the league’s 2017-18 second all-star team, his first appearance on the year-end squad.

MacKinnon, 22, had career highs last season in goals (39), assists (58) and points (97), leading Colorado to its first playoff berth since 2014. He is the first Avs player to be named to either the first or second team since goaltender Semyon Varlmov earned second-team…