The Avalanche are on a 6-game win streak, having 8 straight games with at least a point. They’re still at the top of the league with a 2-point advantage over the Florida Panthers, who’ve also been on a tear this season. A hard fought 110 point season so far by the Avalanche have given them a hefty lead over their division, where the next best team is the Minnesota Wild with 94 points in 71 games played. The St. Louis Blues also have 94 points but with 72 games played, so they’re in 3rd place. Offensive output remains a serious advantage as the Avs are 2nd in the entire league with an average of 3.8 goals per game. Nathan MacKinnon is tied at 6th in points per game category at 1.38. Defense has also been incredible as Darcy Kuemper is playing at an elite level. He currently is tied for 3rd in the save percentage column in the entire league with .926. He’s also tied for 3rd for wins this season, accumulating 34. Cale Makar and Devon Toews also have a lot to show for their efforts, both in the top 5 in plus/minus. Devon Toews sits 3rd on the list with a +47 and Cale Makar sits 5th on the list with a +43. This all was done without the efforts of many who are still on the injured list. But good news as Bo Byram made his comeback on the first game of the road trip against the Penguins. Sam Girard also found himself back in the lineup on the last game of the road trip against the Oilers. A scary team as they are only getting healthier with time.
Colorado just went on a 3 game road trip where they collected 6 out of 6 points possible. The First one was against the Pittsburgh Penguins, just days after they played each other in Denver. Nathan MacKinnon didn’t waste any time to get the scoring started as he found the back of the net within the first 3 minutes of the game. It was originally a pass intended for Mikko Rantanen that was deflected in by Bryan Rust of the Pens. This early lead didn’t last long as Bryan Rust got one back for his club to make it even. Later in the 2nd, just prior to the halfway point, J.T. Compher scored to reclaim the advantage. Nathan MacKinnon earned his 2nd of the contest to make it 3-1. Late in the 2nd, Evan Rodrigues cut the lead in half heading into the final frame of play. Josh Manson from downtown snatched his 1st goal as a member of the Avs to extend it to 4-2. Darren Helm joined the fun to grab his 7th of the year. A late push by the Pens resulted in a goal by Jake Guentzel, which was quickly washed away by Arturri Lehkonen who also picked up his 1st goal as an Av. Mike Matheson also potted a goal, but it was a little late. The Avalanche ended up taking the 6-4 win over the Pens in their final meeting of the regular season.
The trip extended north to face-off against their division rival, the Winnipeg Jets. Pavel francouz would get the nod in net. An exciting 1st period was at hand with plenty of offense to go around. Nicolas Aube-Kubel broke the ice early. However, a quick response by the Jets with 2 goals by Mark Schiefele and Nikolaj Ehlers answered it. To open up the 2nd period, it was all Avs. Andre Burakovsky and EriK Johnson each scored to make it a 3-2 affair heading into the 3rd period. Nathan MacKinnon extended the Jets deficit early in the frame. Late in the game, Avs gave up 2 to once again Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers. This resulted in the game having to be settled in overtime. Luckily, the powerplay came through late with Cale Makar netting the game winner for the 5-4 win. Not the way they wanted to win, but they’ll take it. This also digs the Jets into an even bigger holes as the playoffs are rapidly approaching.
In the final game of the trip, they headed to Edmonton the next day to play the Oilers. Once again, a highly anticipated offensive affair, nonetheless scoring was hard to come by until the 3rd period. Warren Foegele would be the one to score first. Nathan MacKinnon who’s on a 3 game goal streak equalized the score, to send it to overtime for the 2nd consecutive night. An exciting overtime period that would need a shoot-out to crown a winner. Nathan MacKinnon would be the only one to convert in the shoot-out to win the game for his club. Darcy Kuemper once again played an immaculate game stopping 49 out of 50 shots, including a flurry of chances in the overtime period. He also came up clutch against some of the league’s most elite players in the shoot-out. Such an impressive win for him, and once again a great sign as Colorado heads closer towards playoffs.
Playoffs are just around the corner and the Avs are continuing to stay hot. After an impressive trip away, they’ll head back home for 4 games. They’ll take on the Kings, Devil, Canes, and the Capitals before returning on the road. We are in the last stretch of the season and the Avs will be getting players to return from the injury list.
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