The Colorado Avalanche have been through a lot this season.
For starters, they have dealt with a lot of injuries. Guys like Gabriel Landeskog (who has been out all season long), Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Darren Helm, Kurtis MacDermid, Erik Johnson, Pavel Francouz, Artturi Lehkonen, and Josh Manson have all missed time this season.
Secondly, they underwent a bit of a Stanley Cup hangover. They did not get off to the greatest start and looked rather ordinary out of the gate, something that many Cup champions go through a season after winning one.
Lastly, teams in their division have really stepped up their game this season. Teams like the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild all made huge strides this season and have made the Central Division one to watch during the rest of the season.
Despite all of this, however, the Avalanche have more than stayed afloat. In fact, they have been on quite a roll, as they have won 20 of their last 28 games.
As of this writing (Sunday, March 19), the Avalanche are third in the Central Division and 11th in the NHL with a 40-22-6 record and 86 points. They sit just two points behind the Wild, who are second in the division, and three points behind the Stars, who are first in the division.
One reason why this team has caught fire is because of the play of MacKinnon. Despite playing in just 57 games, MacKinnon currently leads the team with 88 points on 30 goals and 58 assists.
MacKinnon is a true game-breaker. He creates offense whenever he is on the ice and is always a threat to score.
Mikko Rantanen is also having an outstanding season for the Avalanche. He is second on the team with 83 points on 46 goals and 37 assists.
Year in and year out, Rantanen has been nothing but consistent. This guy produces every season and knows how to come through in the clutch, as he currently leads the team with nine game-winning goals.
You cannot mention the Avalanche without talking about Cale Makar. Makar is having another great season, as he is third on the team with 61 points in just 55 games.
Makar will more than likely not repeat as the Norris Trophy winner this season, but he is once again showing both his team and the NHL that he is consistently going to be one of the best defensemen in the league. At just 24 years of age, the sky is the limit for Makar.
Lastly, the team has been getting excellent goaltending from starter Alexandar Georgiev. In his first season as an NHL starting goaltender, Georgiev, 27, is currently 31-14-0-5 with a 2.58 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage, and four shutouts.
It will be interesting to see how Georgiev does come playoff time on a team with lofty expectations due to what they accomplished last season when they won it all. If he continues to play the way he is right now, goaltending should not be an issue at the most important time of the year.
There is still some hockey left to be played in the regular season, so the Avalanche still have some work to do to close it out. With that said, everyone knows that their focus is on one thing and one thing only – winning the Cup again.
