With just three games remaining in the regular season, the Colorado Avalanche have a chance to secure a good spot in the standings ahead of the playoffs. They will likely finish second in the Central Division as the Dallas Stars have a five-point lead at the top, but they will have home-ice advantage in the first round and can take advantage of their ideal line combinations.
The Avalanche have solid depth this season, especially with their trade deadline acquisitions. The addition of Casey Mittelstadt and Sean Walker has significantly improved the team’s depth and defense, respectively, while Yakov Trenin and Brandon Duhaime have bolstered the bottom six. Goaltending has been an issue, with Alexandar Georgiev’s inconsistent play, but Justus Annunen has stepped up since being recalled from the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles. If the playoffs started today, it is uncertain which players would take the ice and which line combinations the coach would use.
Starting with the forwards, here’s a look at who will likely be in the Avalanche’s lineup for Game 1 of their opening-round series.
The Avalanche Forwards in Round 1
| Jonathan Drouin | Nathan MacKinnon | Mikko Rantanen |
| Artturi Lehkonen | Casey Mittelstadt | Valeri Nichushkin |
| Brandon Duhaime | Ross Colton | Miles Wood |
| Zach Parise | Yakov Trenin | Joel Kiviranta |
The Top Line: Drouin, MacKinnon, Rantanen
This season, the Avalanche’s top line has been their main threat and go-to line. With 473.1 minutes played together, the line ranks second in xGoals% (expected goals percentage) among forward lines with a minimum of 470 minutes played together.
Given Jonathan Drouin’s play, this line is arguably the most productive top line in the Western Conference—all three players have gelled and can match each other’s playstyle and roles – Drouin has become more of a Swiss army knife, Rantanen’s shot is a rocket, and MacKinnon is… well, MVP.
The Second Line: Lehkonen, Mittelstadt, Nichushkin
This line could be considered the team’s most important, if not for MacKinnon’s presence. Players like Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin have been vital to the Avalanche’s playoff success in the past. Both have played on the top line when Drouin wasn’t playing well, but now they are getting time together and are learning to combine their strengths. Nichushkin, coming back from injury, has been cold but has shown quality effort as a net-front presence with his big body. Lehkonen’s playmaking has been in top shape all season; it just middles down to Mittelstadt.
Mittelstadt has been great for the Avalanche since he arrived. He has four goals and five assists, but there is room to grow, and head coach Jared Bednar has noticed it.
I think he’s a work in progress… It reminds me a little bit of when (Jonathan Drouin) first got here. Didn’t happen overnight for him. He’s putting the work in. He’s playing with a really good conscience on the defensive side. Still not perfect. Still caught in between a little bit of using his instincts and playing instinctual hockey and trusting that and also still trying to play mistake-free, good in-the-structure-type play.
Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar
The Third Line: Duhaime, Colton, Wood
The third line has been a vital contributor to the Avalanche’s success this season. Brandon Duhaime is filling the gap left by Logan O’Connor, who is out for the rest of the season following hip surgery. This line is quick and physical and has the pace to shut opponents down and force them to play within their zone.
Related: Avalanche’s Bottom Six Rises to the Top
This line is the quintessential “shutdown line” for the Avalanche. It possesses size, speed, strength, and physicality, which can be matched up with the opponent’s best lines to tire them out. The line is also capable of drawing penalties from the opposing team, which may result in a power play chance for their own team.
Fourth Line: Parise, Trenin, Kiviranta
This is the “Frankenstein line”, which could see many changes throughout the playoffs. While Yakov Trenin has been a great physical contributor since he was acquired at the deadline and could stay here or be bumped up to the third line, the rest is up in the air.
Zack Parise and Joel Kiviranta are great additions to the bottom pair. Depending on specific matchups, needs, or performance issues, they can be shuffled in and out of the lineup with players like Andrew Cogliano and Chris Wagner. Every team needs players like this in the postseason who can come in and out of the lineup and help make an impact.
Avalanche Who Don’t Make the Cut
Gabriel Landeskog and Nikolai Kovalenko are out for health-related reasons. Having the captain back for this playoff run would be huge, considering what he brings to the team on and off the ice, but rushing him back when not fully healthy could be a major risk for his health and career.
I wanted to see Kovalneko during the regular season and earn a spot for Game 1, but that might not happen. He was hurt during his final playoff game in the Kontinental Hockey League and is in rehab, or else he would have seen him play with the Avalanche or the Eagles.
The Avalanche are looking to bounce back from last year’s disappointing playoffs, in which they lost in seven games in the first round to the Seattle Kraken. With excellent additions to the forward group and an MVP performance from MacKinnon, no matter what the lineups look like, it will be a team effort to capture their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.