The Colorado Avalanche forward is drawing criticism for a play involving Wings forward Alex DeBrincat during Saturday night’s matchup at Little Caesars Arena.

Tensions were already high as the Avalanche traveled to Detroit amid a recent skid. Entering the contest, Colorado—the NHL’s top team this season—had dropped four of its previous five games and was searching for a response.

They found it, shutting out the Red Wings 5–0 despite being outshot 28–21.

At one point during the game, nearly every player on the ice was involved in a scrum. MacKinnon arrived late, approached the pile, punched DeBrincat in the ribs, then grabbed his arm and yanked hard several times.

The Whole Story

Leave out the context, and it sounds as if MacKinnon committed attempted murder. But the full picture tells a different story. DeBrincat was hardly innocent—he had Brock Nelson in a tight headlock at the time.

Ross Colton was tangled with Marco Kasper, Brent Burns was nearby, former Avalanche forward J.T. Compher got involved, and Sam Girard was in the mix as well. MacKinnon clearly took issue with DeBrincat holding Nelson, delivering a sharp jab to the ribs and a few forceful tugs to break the grip.

If MacKinnon had continued attacking, that would be a different story entirely. But this was hockey—a classic example of a teammate defending a teammate. And in this case, the teammate in question has been one of the NHL’s top goal scorers over the past month. Nelson, a third-generation Olympian named to Team USA for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Games, has scored 12 goals since January 1. Only one player in the league has more goals—and no, it’s not Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews—it’s Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield, who has 13.

Considering Nelson’s impact this season, it’s understandable why MacKinnon went the extra mile to protect him. And if the roles were reversed—if MacKinnon found himself in a similar situation with Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, or Patrick Kane—Red Wings fans should expect DeBrincat to step up in defense of his teammate.

No harm, no foul.

We’ll see if any tension carries over into Monday’s rematch at Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. local time.