The Colorado Avalanche have been on an absolute tear during their last 10 games with a record of 7-2-1, scoring a total of 49 goals during this span. During this time they had a 6 game winning streak after 5 decisive victories against pacific division opponents. They’ve done most of this without the efforts of Nathan MacKinnon who has been extremely unlucky to start the season dealing with Covid-19 and a lower body injury.
After a slow start following a highly anticipated beginning, they seem to have found their game at the elite level that they are used to playing. They have dealt with numerous injuries to start the year, which is something this club is familiar with, but have been able to overcome these difficulties as they have been able to slowly bring back guys to the lineup and string together some wins. The Avs have had to rely on players stepping up with the absence of many players, including star forward Nathan MacKinnon, which they’ve gotten through the great contributions from Center Nazem Kadri, who leads the team with 27 points. He was on a 10 game point streak which ended up coming to an end on Friday against the Stars but bounced back quickly to get back on the score sheet against the Predators with 2 assists in their 6-2 win.
Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen have all been electric during this stretch providing consistent offense for the club. Avs rookie Bo Byram has also been a key contributor to this team despite his early career in the NHL by providing additional offense and playing exceptional defense. In 12 games, he has 4 goals and 5 assists with a +/- of 6.
Alex Newhook has also shown some promise by providing offense after getting called up from the AHL. He’s played 8 games since being called back up and has had a total of 5 points, including a clutch game-winning goal during a back and forth battle against the Ottawa Senators on 11/22.
The Avs have shown a lot of resilience and potential to get back to their elite abilities. They are currently 6th in the central division and have hopes to get themselves back to the top where they were last year. They have a great opportunity to show the league their back during their 5 game road trip which starts against the hot offensive powered Toronto Maple Leafs, who are second in the Atlantic. Nathan MacKinnon will look to make his return from the IR for the first game of the road trip, which is great news for the Avs.
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