Heading into their New Year’s Eve tilt with the Winnipeg Jets, the Colorado Avalanche were riding high. They were on a four-game winning streak after defeating the Utah Hockey Club 4-1 on Dec. 27, and they locked up recently acquired Mackenzie Blackwood with a five-year deal on the same day.
Heading into the third period against the Jets, the game was in doubt until Casey Mittelstadt found the perfect time to break his goal-scoring drought, pushing the Avalanche ahead for good. Here are three takeaways from the Avalanche’s 5-2 win over the division-leading Jets.
Avalanche Middle Six Playing a Huge Role
There is no disputing the importance of Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. But, the real difference for the Avalanche has been the contributions of their middle six. As reinforcements return to the lineup, the Avalanche will only become more dangerous.
Artturi Lehkonen has been great since returning from injury, picking up his 14th goal of the season in just 26 games. He’s rapidly approaching his career-best 21 goals from the 2022-23 season, thanks to the highest shooting percentage of his career (24.1%).
Mittelstadt scored for the first time since Nov. 18, and Ross Colton added his 11th via an empty-netter to seal the win. The Avalanche are driven by its star power, but the “role” players are more than carrying their weight this season.
Rantanen Continues to Find a Way to Contribute
Speaking of star players, Mikko Rantanen added his 21st goal of the season with the first empty-netter of the night. Rantanen is tied for third in the NHL in points and eighth in goals, consistently finding his way onto the scoresheet.
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Though the big question is how the Avalanche will manage to sign him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason, they need to make the most of his talents now. The team has arguably the most explosive offense in the NHL, and Rantanen is a huge part of that.
He will never get the love that MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, or Connor McDavid get, but he produces on the same level. He’s scoring at a 1.42 points-per-game rate, well ahead of the 1.30 he put up a season ago. If he keeps it up, he will easily eclipse his career-high of 105 points achieved two seasons ago.
Colorado’s Clear Shift in Confidence
It was minor news, but the Avalanche added youngster Juuso Parssinen in a trade with the Nashville Predators a few days ago. Parssinen won’t change the fate of the franchise, not in the way that the deal for Blackwood will, but it underscores a change in direction for the club.
Before the Blackwood trade, the team was in disarray. Since then, with their goaltending shored up, the team has played with a confidence they didn’t have previously. Like other good teams, the Avalanche are finding a way to win – whether it’s their stars carrying the load or timely contributions from less heralded players. Most importantly, there isn’t that sense of dread that a big goal against is coming.
The Team No One Wants to Play
Few teams are better than the Avalanche right now. Their five-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the NHL. They still have a lot of work to do to catch the Jets, but the gap is closing.
They have a deep roster with goaltending to match. As the season wears on and the Avalanche get players like Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood back from injury, they will only become more dangerous. They’re already on a run, so the league will be watching them closely.
