Hart Trophy race comes down to wire

To mark the end of the 2017-18 regular season, NHL.com is running its final installment of the Trophy Tracker series this week. Today, a look at the race for the Hart Trophy.
Nathan MacKinnon arrived in the NHL as an 18-year-old, the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, a star in the making.

He is made. He is a star. And MacKinnon, the Colorado Avalanche's top center, is NHL.com's choice to win the Hart Trophy as the player judged most valuable to his team this season.
MacKinnon was named on 16 of 17 ballots and received 62 points, pushed by seven first-place votes, which are worth five points apiece, in NHL.com's Hart Trophy vote.
He finished fifth in the League in scoring with 97 points (39 goals, 58 assists) in 74 games. It's the most points by an Avalanche player since Joe Sakic finished with 100 in 2006-07. MacKinnon is the first Avalanche player to finish in the top five in scoring since Sakic in 2003-04.
MacKinnon was second in the League in points-per-game (1.31) behind Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (1.32), who won the Art Ross Trophy with 108 points.
In addition, MacKinnon finished tied for first in the League with 12 game-winning goals, which also tied Sakic's Avalanche record, which he set in 2000-01.
Put it all together and MacKinnon is easily the biggest reason the Avalanche went from last in the NHL last season with 48 points to being in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season with 95 points, good enough to be the second wild card in from the Western Conference.
Colorado will face the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference First Round. Game 1 is at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.
"It's just his mentality of wanting to be a leader on this team and wanting to drive the bus every time he gets on the ice, being aggressive with the puck, making things happen," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "It's been a lot of fun to watch.
"The player he is and the season he's having…in my eyes, he's MVP."
The best part of MacKinnon's production this season is he that was at his best when the Avalanche needed him most -- such as Saturday, when they had to defeat the St. Louis Blues in regulation to make the playoffs.
MacKinnon scored the game-winning goal at 16:58 of the second period, contributed an assist, played 23:30 and had six shots on goal with 11 shot attempts and two blocked shots. The Avalanche won 5-2.
"I knew what was going on, I wanted to be aggressive," MacKinnon said, "and I thought I could be."
MacKinnon dominated at Pepsi Center with a League-high 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) in home games, tying Sakic's club record for home points, which he set in 2000-01.
He pushed the Avalanche into the playoff discussion with 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) during Colorado's 10-game winning streak from Dec. 29-Jan. 22. He had 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) during a 14-game point streak from Feb. 24-March 22, the longest of his NHL career. The Avalanche went 8-3-3.
"He had a tendency in the past to get frustrated if things didn't go his way or the team's way early," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "Now he has a stick-to-it-iveness to his game and a commitment to his game to continue to play the right way, and it's making all the difference in the world, especially late in hockey games. That's why he's been a difference maker for us."
MacKinnon struggled to be the difference maker down the stretch with three points, all assists, in seven games from March 24-April 5. However, when the Avalanche needed their star to step up in the regular-season finale, he delivered.
"He's taking it to another level," Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie said.
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis): Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, 62 points (seven first-place votes); Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils, 54 (three first-place votes); Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings, 43 (three first-place votes); Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning, 26 (two first-place votes); Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers, 18; Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins, 15; Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, 15 (one first place-vote); Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets, 11; Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, 8 (one first-place vote); Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets, 1; Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins, 1; Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, 1