CALGARY, Alberta — Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon is right up there with Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby as the world’s best hockey player, Calgary defenseman and team captain Mark Giordano said late Friday night after Colorado eliminated the top-seeded Flames in five games with a 5-1 victory at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

“For anyone who doesn’t think MacKinnon is one of the best, if not the best, they might want to look at this series,” Giordano told Calgary Herald reporter Wes Gilbertson after Game 5, in which MacKinnon had three assists. “Because he can really turn it up to another level and really took control. A tough player to play against, and I thought he really took control and led their team.”

MacKinnon finished the series with eight points, including three goals. Mikko Rantanen led the Avs with nine points (five goals) but Giordano believes MacKinnon makes it all happen for Colorado, which outscored the Flames 17-7 in winning the final four games of the series.

“I’ll say it again, I think this guy is … Well, right now, he’s definitely the best player still left in the league, in my opinion,” Giordano said of MacKinnon, 23. “He turned it up to another level. I’ve played against him a lot and he was a great player, but this was a whole different level we saw out there in this playoffs.

“The thing about him was when we thought we had him contained 5-on-5, he makes you pay on the power-play, like tonight. Listen, he gets my vote for best player right now in the game, at this point. He totally took over and you have to give him a lot of credit. He’s a tough player to play against. Connor (McDavid), Sid (Crosby), he’s right up there with those two.”

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