The Colorado Avalanche, propelled to a come-from-behind win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, have quietly put together a five-game winning streak. After a busy trade deadline, the Avalanche look stronger and more formidable as they attempt to catch the Dallas Stars in the Central Division.
Staring down a matchup with the lowly Chicago Blackhawks, it could have been all too easy to slide backward and drop a third straight game against their division rival. Instead, the Avalanche got timely goaltending and a historic night from Nathan MacKinnon. Let’s get into the most important takeaways from the Avalanche’s 3-0 win over the Blackhawks.
A Historic Night for Nate Dogg
It took until the third period to get the first goal of the night, but it wound up being huge for a couple of reasons. In addition to giving the Avalanche a 1-0 lead late into the game, it also meant MacKinnon picking up his 1,000th career point. That is a milestone that relatively few achieve, and it means the world to the face of the franchise.
The play was simple enough. The puck made its way to Devon Toews at the point and was eventually tipped in front by Artturi Lehkonen. MacKinnon garnered the secondary assist, giving him the historic achievement. Even cooler, he became the 100th player to achieve the milestone, putting him in an exclusive club.
MacKinnon would add another assist a few minutes later, putting him up to 102 points on the season. He holds a five-point edge on Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and looks to be on the cusp of his first scoring title.
Team Defense is Stronger
Amidst all the moves and the talk of one of the best offenses in the NHL, one thing that has flown under the radar is the strength of the team’s defense. Since the beginning of this winning streak, they have allowed three goals or more just twice.
Shutting down teams like the Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils, while allowing the offense to propel them to a comeback win over the Maple Leafs, is something worth talking about. Explosive offenses are fun, but teams that win championships need to find a way to close down lanes.
The Avalanche are deeper and stronger than they have been in some time. They are getting offensive contributions throughout the lineup, but the overall defensive play of the team is what could separate them from the rest in the spring.
A Weakness Is Now a Strength
Adding Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle was a significant step toward shoring up issues the Avalanche were facing. But the biggest coup for the Colorado front office came way back in December. Knowing they couldn’t wait for the trade deadline, the Avalanche went out and traded for goaltenders Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood.
The moves have paid off exponentially. Blackwood is a Vezina Trophy dark horse, but the contributions of Wedgewood can’t be understated. He’s only had 12 starts for the Avalanche, but at 7-4-1 the Avalanche aren’t giving up much when he starts. He even had a highlight-reel save against the Blackhawks on Monday night.
It can’t be talked about enough how the Avalanche remedied their goaltending. With Alex Georgiev in net, things were awful. The team acted, found their guys, and now have supreme confidence in their tandem.
Big Matchup with Minnesota
That makes six wins in a row for the Avalanche, who are quietly one of the hottest teams in the game right now. It also means that they have six points separating them and the Stars for second in the Central Division. The coming game with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night becomes even more critical.
The Avalanche are clicking on all cylinders right now. They are deeper, stronger, more physical, and better defensively than they were last week. This is the kind of team that can make a deep run in the playoffs, but it starts with catching the Stars in the standings.
