Despite a puzzling loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, even more confusing after topping the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, the Colorado Avalanche are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Thursday’s tilt with the Minnesota Wild was a pivotal one both for regaining momentum and gaining ground in the Central Division.
The Avalanche responded by absolutely dominating the Wild on their own ice. It started early and the Avalanche didn’t let up until they finished with a 6-1 victory. There is a lot to unpack here, so let’s jump right into the biggest takeaways from this critical victory by the Avalanche.
An Easy Night for Blackwood
Isn’t it nice when you don’t even have to think about the goaltending? Granted, it also helps when team defense shuts things down and limits the opposition to just 12 shots through two periods. Mackenzie Blackwood had to be merely functional, only giving up an absolute snipe from Zach Bogosian of all people.
He stopped 24 of 25 shots on the night, looking calm and in control throughout. Even facing 13 shots in the final frame, he never looked pressed. It will be talked about ad nauseam throughout the remainder of the season, but the swing in goaltending can’t be discussed enough.
Blackwood gives the Avalanche a legitimate number-one goaltender and the difference is clear. That’s not even mentioning the number of chances the Avalanche have been able to take because they know that there’s a pretty good chance that Blackwood makes the save should something go awry.
Let’s Go Streaking (Part 2)
Not only did the Avalanche lose to the Blackhawks on Wednesday, but we also saw the end of a pair of point streaks. Nathan MacKinnon, the early Hart Trophy favorite, saw his eight-game streak snapped while Mikko Rantanen saw his 14-game point streak come to an end.
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With players of this caliber, you can’t keep them down for long. Rantanen put the Avalanche up 3-1 midway through the second period (assisted by MacKinnon) and the MVP favorite added his 15th goal of the season midway through the third period to fully bury the Wild.
As nice as it is to have good depth (more on that below), there is something about having not one but two of the most dynamic scorers in the league. MacKinnon holds a seven-point lead on Leon Draisaitl and Rantanen is just one back of the Edmonton Oilers forward. This is as fun as it gets, folks. Enjoy the ride.
The Avalanche Showed Their Depth
The Avalanche are ridiculously deep and one of the toughest teams in the league to beat when the lineup is rolling. Ross Colton was gifted a goal midway through the first period but has had one of his best seasons ever with 13 goals through 26 games so far this season.
Jonathan Drouin returned from a brief hiatus to tally a pair of assists. Artturi Lehkonen, Parker Kelly, and Logan O’Connor all scored as well. The Avalanche are buoyed by their big guns but can absolutely overwhelm anyone when the middle of the lineup is playing effectively.
This is going to be critical for not only the remainder of the regular season, but the playoffs as well. Minor injuries are just going to be part of the equation, and the Avalanche can never seem to be at 100% (Valeri Nichushkin is currently out, as is Miles Wood). Being able to get contributions from everyone takes the pressure off.
A Team That Can Beat Anyone
It’s hard to maintain intensity and 100% effort over an 82-game schedule, so we’ll forgive the Avalanche for the odd game like Wednesday’s loss to the Blackhawks. Aside from that, they have beaten virtually anyone in their path, going 8-1-1 over their last 10 games.
The schedule is only going to get tougher, but the Avalanche are gaining momentum. Catching the Winnipeg Jets is going to be tough, but the gap is just five points now. Given the historic start the Jets had, no one could have foreseen the Avalanche getting within shouting distance of the division lead.
