The Colorado Avalanche Look To Keep Their Hot Start To The NHL Season Going Against The Tampa Bay Lightning

By Jordan Long

The Colorado Avalanche are off to a hot start.  They stand at 6-1-2 for a total of 14 points.  Colorado looks to improve to 7-1-2 tonight hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Colorado is playing great hockey to begin the year.

The Avalanche knew heading into this season the offense needed to set the tone.  Colorado is scoring early and often, averaging 3.67 goals per game ranking 7^th in the NHL.  The top line of Nathan Mackinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen are scoring at will.  Mackinnon has 8 goals and 7 assists for total of 15 points. Landeskog totaled 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points while Rantanen has 4 goals and 8 assists.  That is a total of 20 goals and 19 assists for that line which is becoming one of the top ones in the NHL.

Of course a team can’t do well without the defense.  Colorado is blocking shots and not allowing many scoring chances.  When opponents have wide open shots, goaltenders  Semyon Varlamov and Philipp Grubauer make the save and don’t allow rebound opportunities.  They cover the puck or make a glove save.  The Avalanche are #1 in defense allowing 2.11 goals against per game.

Special teams is an area that can make or break a teams’ season.  Colorado is playing well on the power play.  They are taking advantage of teams’ penalties.  Colorado is setting the power play up.  Defensemen are shooting the puck from the point.  Those are often goals or a forward is near the goaltender to tip the puck in.  If the goaltender saves it, it may be a rebound chance for Colorado.  Colorado skaters are passing the puck and feeding to the wide open man for a goal. The Avalanche are scoring on 27.3% when they have the man advantage

Colorado is killing penalties when they are down a man.  They are poke checking the puck away so opposing teams can’t set up their power play.  If Colorado is unable to do that, they check them off the puck and take it away.  When this happens they fire it to the other end of the ice to take time off the power play kill.   If rival  teams are able to shoot the puck, it is turned away by the goaltender.  Colorado’s power play kill percentage is 90.5% second in the NHL.

The Avalanche know this is the type of start they needed to have.  They are playing well on both sides of the ice.  Colorado knows they have to keep up their high-level play to earn a playoff spot.  The way they are playing right now, it could end in a postseason birth with home ice advantage in the first-round.