Matt Duchene scores No. 30 in Game 79 four years ago, throws himself a parade.
Nathan MacKinnon scores No. 30 in Game 49 on Monday, shrugs.
Different times, these. Different times.
“I don’t think I’m gonna get 50,” MacKinnon, the Avalanche all-star, said quietly when the subject of the big 5-0 — Nimble Nate is on a pace for 51 — was broached.
“Nah. I don’t think I’m gonna get 50.
“I’m a disher. I’m a passer. I’ll get 70 assists but not 50 goals.”
Come again?
“I’m just joking,” MacKinnon continued, less than hour after scoring twice on the hapless Detroit Red Wings to help Colorado close the first half of the season with a 6-3 win.