Nathan MacKinnon lamented another early exit by his Colorado Avalanche following their 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their second-round series Thursday night.

"I'm going into my ninth year next year and I haven't won shit. So, I'm just definitely motivated, and it just sucks losing four (games) in a row to a team," MacKinnon said postgame.

"It felt like last year was our first real chance to win, and this year, I thought we were the best team in the league. But for whatever reason, we just couldn't get it together," MacKinnon added. "I'm sure in training camp next year we'll figure it out, dissect things, and come back better."

The Avalanche bowed out in the second round for the third straight season. They won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season club in 2021, beating out the Golden Knights in a tiebreaker after both clubs finished with 82 points.

Colorado thumped Vegas 7-1 in Game 1 and then won Game 2 by a 3-2 margin in overtime before losing the next four.

The Avalanche haven't advanced past the second round since losing in the conference finals back in 2001-02.

MacKinnon debuted with Colorado in 2013-14 after the team chose him first overall in the 2013 draft. The superstar, who'll turn 26 in September, is a finalist for the Hart Trophy this season. He was the runner-up for the honor - given annually to the NHL's MVP - in 2017-18 and 2019-20.

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