Nathan MacKinnon a finalist for Hart Trophy, joining Hall, Kopitar.

Nathan MacKinnon is one step closer to being named the NHL’s most valuable player.

MacKinnon, the 22-year-old Avalanche center, was named one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy on Thursday. The other two are Taylor Hall (New Jersey Devils) and Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings).

A former No. 1 overall draft pick by Colorado, MacKinnon ranked second in the league this season in points per game (1.31) by recording 39 goals and 58 assists — both of which led the Avs and was a major driver behind the team’s 47-point turnaround from the 2016-17 season and push to the playoffs.

Should he win the Hart Trophy, he’d be the third player in Avs history to do so, joining Joe Sakic (2001) and Peter Forsberg (2003).

MacKinnon was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award on Thursday, which is given to the league’s MVP, as voted on by the players.

Hall, a left winger, had 93 points this season, 41 more than his next-closest teammate. Kopitar, a center, scored 35 goals (92 points), a 23-goal improvement from last season.

The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 20.

Footnotes.

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been suspended for Game 2 against Vegas because of a crosscheck to the head of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. … Brian Burke is stepping down as the Calgary Flames’ president of hockey operations, ending a nearly five-year run with the organization.