Nathan MacKinnon was called for embellishment in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings. Now, he is being mocked online by fans for his reaction.
The Colorado Avalanche are up 3–0 in their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the Kings.
“Need to find a way”
The Avalanche could close out the series with a win Sunday afternoon in Game 4. The first two wins in Denver were one-goal games, while Game 3 in Los Angeles ended in a 4–2 victory for the Avalanche.
“We have to find ways to score. We had looks. I mean, give them credit, but we missed the net 13 times heading into the third period. Sometimes you can play really well for stretches—it happens in the regular season—and not get the results. Then you’ll win a game you don’t deserve to win. For us, I thought in the first half of the game we played them as hard and as well as we could, and we probably didn’t get the results,” LA Kings interim coach D.J. Smith told reporters after the game.
Nathan MacKinnon embellishment
MacKinnon didn’t register any points, but he still made the stat sheet. In the second period, he was sent to the penalty box for embellishment. Kings forward Samuel Helenius cross-checked MacKinnon from behind, causing him to fall to the ice. Helenius was also penalized for cross-checking.
Now, fans are mocking MacKinnon online for how easily he went down.
“It’s a good call; when these guys don’t want to be moved off the puck, it’s nearly impossible. Then they feel a hit from behind and act like they got hit with a cannonball,” one fan wrote on X.
“MacKinnon is a decent-sized dude and a fantastic skater, and he fell down like a sack of potatoes. Embellishment,” another wrote.
“It’s embellishment. He’s barely pushed the second time and falls over like he’s been seriously cross-checked. He wasn’t even off-balance when he fell. Unnecessary, ridiculous dive for someone who is such a strong skater,” a third wrote.
You can watch the incident below.
