Nathan MacKinnon has the inside track on his second-straight Hart Trophy winner. Here are four other names to watch in the NHL's MVP race.

Nathan MacKinnon is in a tight race for the Hart Trophy (MVP), but the Colorado Avalanche center likely added another bullet point to his strong résumé on Wednesday night.

Missing this many games all but eliminates him from contention no matter how well he has played or how much he has produced this season.

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Star Kirill Kaprizov is on long-term injured reserve with a ... Colorado is missing some players, too, but its superstars are healthy and thriving. Nathan MacKinnon continues to lead the NHL in scoring with 73 points (17 goals, 56 assists) entering play ...

MacKinnon is the most likely Avalanche player to take advantage of a Wild defense that is bleeding shots. Not only is he the best shot-generator on the team, but the Wild have allowed the second-most shots to centers in the NHL over the past few weeks.

Mark Scheifele has been held scoreless for four straight games, but our NHL player prop picks for January 26 expect that to change tonight.

Yakov Trenin and Brock Faber scored goals 1:35 apart early in the third period, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 in Denver on Monday.

Some of the issues that looked fixed two days ago in a decisive win against the Dallas Stars were again troubling for the Colorado Avalanche in a loss to the Minnesota Wild.

Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL leader in points ... Wild: Without some key players, including captain Jared Spurgeon and leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota played a solid road game after allowing six goals to the Avs in St. Paul on Jan. 9.

The Seattle Kraken will send Philipp Grubauer to the American Hockey League if he clears waivers. Follow this tracker for the latest NHL news.