It might not be possible to ride higher than the Colorado Avalanche have been of late. When you hand one of the few true Stanley Cup contenders a 9-1 drubbing on their own ice. It was one of those games that went well in nearly every facet, other than the power play, which went 0-for-7.
On Sunday evening, the Avalanche continued their west coast road trip with a visit to the Vancouver Canucks. What was once a tremendous rivalry has fallen off a bit, and the Avalanche extended their dominance with a rare 5-4 overtime win.
Nathan MacKinnon is the Best Player in the World
There is often a bit of discussion as to who the best player in the world is at any given time. Most of the time, it’s Connor McDavid but it’s hard to argue against the case for Nathan MacKinnon. What’s scary is that he might be playing his best hockey ever right now.
MacKinnon was a nightmare for the Canucks, having a hand in all five goals. He has nine points in his last two games and at least one point in his last nine games. Over that same stretch, eight goals and 19 points. He’s very nearly averaging a goal and an assist per game, with 14 goals and 15 assists in 16 games.
The level of cohesion he has had with Artturi Lehkonen cannot be understated and that is a deal that looks better all the time. With a slate that includes the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, and Nashville Predators, we have likely not seen the end of Nate Dog’s hot streak.
Mackenzie Blackwood is Working Off the Rust
A quick look at the lineup and it may have come as a surprise to see Mackenzie Blackwood given the start. Scott Wedgewood has gotten the lion’s share of the starts, partially because Blackwood was out due to injury, and partially because he’s simply earned the lion’s share of the starts.
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Blackwood got the nod for his second start of the season, and it is clear that he still has some rust to work through. He wasn’t bad at all – he stopped 29 of 33 shots – but there were a couple that he probably wanted back.
You know that things are going well when your No.1 goalie has been virtually non-existent this season and you’re still atop the standings. When Blackwood does get up to speed, the Avalanche are going to look completely invulnerable.
Brent Burns has Quietly Been a Difference-Maker
It has been talked about in this space before, but it really cannot be overstated just how valuable an addition Brent Burns has been. Signed to a one-year, $1 million deal (with up to $3 million in incentives), Burns has delivered in every conceivable way.
Burns is seventh on the team in scoring, second among defensemen only trailing Cale Makar. He is a solid +4 but is third among defensemen in average time on ice and shifts. He is a steady, reliable, veteran presence.
With younger defenders like Sam Malinski and Jack Ahcan in the lineup, Burns having the ability to eat up so many minutes has been invaluable. Moreover, it gives Josh Manson the opportunity to rove around and lay down the boom, the kind of physical presence that can’t be understated. Burns’ signing has been a home run for the Avalanche.
A Dominant Run
Over their last half-dozen games, the Avalanche have been outstanding. Their lone blemish is a 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. They hung eight goals on the New Jersey Devils and nine on the Oilers. They’ve beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights as well.
The Avalanche have a very favorable schedule coming up, with the chance to put together quite the run. The key is to keep the pedal to the metal. With a hyper-competitive leader like MacKinnon, don’t expect the Avalanche to have many lackluster performances.
