from eric Francis of Sportsnet,

From best in the west to finished in five.

Minutes after the Calgary Flames‘ improbable, 50-win season came to a crashing end Friday, a stunned group of players shared one common explanation for how it all slipped away:
Nathan MacKinnon.

“For anyone who doesn’t think MacKinnon is one of the best, if not the best, they might want to look at this series because he can really turn it on up to another level,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano, following the Flames fourth-straight loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

“Tough player to play against and I thought he really took control and led their team.”

Mike Smith agreed.

“He was a beast,” said the Flames netminder, who was solid for the fifth-straight game despite losing 5-1 in a game where MacKinnon had three assists.

continued

Game highlights and handshakes below.