Avalanche Without A Regulation Loss In 2022

The Avalanche have continued to play extremely well since the start of the new year. The strenuous break for other teams around the league turned out to be a massive advantage for the Avs, as they were able to rest up and get some key players back, resulting in them going on this run. Multiple teams around the league who were hot, cooled down after the break, causing them to lose their momentum. But not for the Avalanche. They currently hold a commanding 1st place lead in the Central Division with 57 points in 38 games played. The closest team to them in the division are the Nashville Predators at 53 points in 42 games. Not only are the Avs first in their division, but they’re 3rd place in the entire league, only 2 points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, who both have a minimum of 2 more games played than the Avalanche. After a sloppy start to the year, the Avalanche have emerged as one of the league’s best teams, which was expected. In the last 17 games, the Avs are 15-1-1. Currently, their record is 10-0-1 in the month of January, holding an 11 game point streak alive. Another streak they hold is 14 straight home wins which is a record for the franchise. The original was 10, so they’ve decisively broken it. Part of this team’s success is not only their amazing offense, but their goaltending tandem stepping up, even when the offense isn’t playing at the level they’re used to.

The Avalanche had a back-to-back home/away series against their brand new divisional opponent, the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes have been nothing short of a mess but have been able to pull off some upsets against some of the NHL’s best. In the first game, which took place at Ball Arena, the Coyotes gave the Avs a run for their money by forcing the game into overtime. The Avs quickly sprung out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period courtesy of Mikko Rantanen and Tyson Jost. But the Yotes responded with a short-handed goal by their young star Clayton Keller. The game became even in the 2nd after another goal by the Coyotes. Then quickly to start the 3rd period, the Yotes took the lead 39 seconds into it. But Andre Burakovsky quickly answered with a goal to tie the game. The contest then went into overtime and then a shootout. Nazem Kadri called game in the shootout scoring the only goal. Overall this was a closer game than the Avs would’ve liked. The powerplay was non-factor as it was 0 for 5, allowing a short-handed goal. However on a positive note, this became their 13th straight win on home ice.

The next day, they played the Coyotes again but in Arizona. This would be goaltender Darcy Kuemper’s homecoming since being traded in the offseason. It was a dominant effort in every aspect of the game as the Avs won 5-0. Darcy Kuemper couldn’t have had a better outing against his former team posting a shutout on 20 shots against. The offense was alive and well as Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon both cashed in 2 goals and an assist. Nazem Kadri scored the other goal. This was also Gabriel Landeskog’s first game back from the covid list, and got involved by providing an assist to Kadri’s goal.   

The Avs would go back home to face their fierce rival, the Minnesota Wild. This was another important divisional game for both of them as it is a competitive race for the top. Another exciting game was in order as the game ended up going to overtime. The Avs continue to strike early, dictating early with a 2-0 lead at the end of the 1st period. Mikko Rantanen has continued his brilliance this year, scoring his 20th of the year for a 1-0 lead. Alex Newhook scored the 2nd of the game to tack onto the lead. But, the Wild came out flying in the 2nd period as Kevin Fiala scored 22 seconds into the period. Later in the game, goaltender Darcy Kuemper had to be taken out after goalie interference from the Wild’s Jordan Greenway, which was not taken likely by the Avs. Pavel Francouz had to enter the game in relief. In the middle of the 3rd period, the exciting Kirill Kaprizov scored to tie the game at 2. But, the Avs went out to reclaim the lead as Nathan MacKinnon was able to score. In response, Kaprizov scored his 2nd of the game to force overtime at 3 apiece. It then went into a shootout where Mikko Rantanen scored the only goal to secure the win for the Avs. Pavel Francouz earned his 2nd consecutive shootout win and is currently undefeated in shootouts. 

With three key divisional wins out of the way, the Avs headed to So-Cal for a two-game back-to-back road trip against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. Both games turned out to be tough for the Avalanche as they were outshot by both teams. Pavel Francouz got the start against the Ducks and ended with 34 shots against, allowing 0 to get by. This would be Pavel Francouz’s 2nd shutout of his career, both against the Anaheim Ducks. This was a phenomenal performance by the goalie as it seemed the Ducks had them on their heels for the majority of the time. Samuel Girard and Nazem Kadri were the only 2 tallies scored in the contest.

For the last game of the road trip, Darcy Kuemper was back and well after the collision during the Wild game. He came out and produced a monstrous game with a save percentage of .976. He only allowed 1 goal on 41 shots by the Kings, which was on the power-play. The Avs offense didn’t look as dangerous as it usually does but were able to find the back of the net 4 times, which is all that counts. Mikko Rantanen once again scored, adding to his great campaign. Other contributors were Kiefer Sherwood, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Devon Toews to seal the hard-fought win. It wasn’t the prettiest, but they were able to get it done for 2 points.

The biggest question for the Avs seems to be if the goaltending can push them over the hump in the playoffs. The numbers for Darcy Kuemper haven’t been incredible this year with a save percentage of .912 and goals against average of 2.65, but it is fantastic news that he was able to play so well in Arizona and in LA. It’s also encouraging that Pavel Francouz has also played well recently, being able to keep the team in it, even when they aren’t playing their best. If the Avs can continue to get great goaltending that they’ve recently gotten, then the Avs are probably one of the most complete teams in the NHL, if not already. They will make a run in the playoffs, but a lot will depend on if Darcy Kuemper can step up, especially when the Avs offense isn’t producing. 

The Avalanche are also looking forward to the All-Star breaks as they will have 3 representatives for the Central Division. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Nazem Kadri all made the team, which was well deserved. You could honestly argue that more should’ve gone since the team all around is just playing remarkable hockey. Joining them is their coach Jared Bednar. Nathan MacKinnon has also been named the Captain for the squad. The All-Star game this year will be taking place in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena on February 5th. But in the meantime, the Avs will focus on continuing their streaks as they have a 3 game homestand against the Avs faithful.  

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