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Colorado Avalanche Report Card: Atlantic Division

By Nadia Archuleta

DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 19: The Colorado Avalanche players celebrate their overtime win during a regular season NHL hockey game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings on November 19, 2017, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 19: The Colorado Avalanche players celebrate their overtime win during a regular season NHL hockey game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings on November 19, 2017, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Colorado Avalanche did pretty well against the Atlantic Division during the 2017-18 season. Find out the grades the team earned in each series.

The Colorado Avalanche faced Atlantic Division teams for a total of 16 games during the 2017-18 season. Overall, they did very well, going 10-5-1 with 60 goals scored for and 47 scored against.

So far we’ve looked at each Central Division team individually:

We also looked at how the Avs did against the Pacific Division. Now let’s drill deeper into how Colorado did against some of the Eastern Conference teams.

Boston Bruins

2-0, 10 goals for, 3 goals against

  • Oct. 9, 2017, at Boston: Colorado 4, Boston 0
  • Oct. 11, 2017, at Colorado: Colorado 6, Boston 3

The Avalanche started out with a bang, facing the Boston Bruins in home and home games. They won the first game by shutting out Boston — credit to Semyon Varlamov. Nail Yakupov looked like he was going to work out well by scoring two goals. Two days later, Yakupov got a goal against them in the Avs’ 6-3 victory.

Here’s the last of those three Yakupov goals:

Colorado Avalanche vs Boston Bruins Team Grade: A

Buffalo Sabres

1-1, 7 goals for, 8 goals against

  • Dec. 5, 2017, at Colorado: Buffalo 4, Colorado 2
  • Feb. 11, 2018, at Buffalo: Colorado 5, Buffalo 4

It shouldn’t have been so hard to beat the Buffalo Sabres, who bottom-fed the Eastern Conference all season long and finished dead-last in the NHL. Yet the Avs lost to them at home and only got a one-goal victory in Buffalo.

Nathan MacKinnon scored both goals, both on the power play, in the home loss:

Colorado Avalanche vs Buffalo Sabres Team Grade: C

Detroit Red Wings

2-0, 9 goals for, 4 goals against

  • Nov. 19, 2017, at Detroit: Colorado 4, Detroit 3 (OT)
  • Mar. 18, 2018, at Colorado: Colorado 5, Detroit 1

Even though the rivalry is long in the past, there’s always a little extra filip when the Avs and Wings play. And Colorado did an admirable job of handling them this season. That decisive 5-1 win at home was a dream — there were way, way too many Red Wings fans at Pepsi Center that day.

Here’s the OT winner in Detroit, by MacKinnon of course:

Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings Team Grade: A

2-0, 9 goals for, 4 goals against

  • Dec. 9, 2017, at Florida: Colorado 7, Florida 3
  • Dec. 14, 2017, at Colorado: Colorado 2, Florida 1

The Florida Panthers were another team the Avs did very well against, taking both games. Indeed, they dominated the Cats in their Miami barn. While the Pepsi Center game was a little tighter, it was still a fun victory.

Here’s a rare bird — a Colin Wilson goal:

Colorado Avalanche vs Florida Panthers Team Grade: A

Montreal Canadiens

1-1, 4 goals for, 4 goals against

  • Jan. 23, 2018, at Montreal: Montreal 4 Colorado 2
  • Feb. 11, 2018, at Colorado: Colorado 2, Montreal 0

The Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens were surprisingly well-matched last season. Both won their game at home by two goals. Slight edge to Semyon Varlamov for his Valentines’ Day shutout.

Here’s a nifty wrister by Alexander Kerfoot in the home win:

Colorado Avalanche vs Montreal Canadiens Team Grade: B-

Ottawa Senators

0-1-1, 6 goals for, 8 goals against

  • Nov. 10, 2017, “at” Colorado: Ottawa 4, Colorado 3 (OT)
  • Nov. 11, 2017, “at” Ottawa: Ottawa 4, Colorado 3

How awkward. The Colorado Avalanche traded Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators then promptly had to kick it with the fan-favorite forward for almost a week in Sweden. And they couldn’t manage a win against the Sens — an OT loss was the best they got.

Here’s the Avs goal, scored by MacKinnon, that at least got Colorado to overtime:

Tampa Bay Lightning

0-2, 7 goals for, 11 goals against

  • Dec. 7, 2017, at Tampa: Tampa 5, Colorado 2
  • Dec. 16, 2017, at Colorado: Tampa 6, Colorado 5

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a very good team. And though they didn’t dominate the Avalanche completely, they did take both games in the series. That said, captain Gabriel Landeskog did score his second career hat trick against the Bolts, though it ultimately wasn’t enough to win the game.

Landeskog’s hat trick:

Fun fact: MacKinnon’s first career hat trick was against the Lightning.

Colorado Avalanche vs Tampa Bay Lightning Team Grade: C+

Toronto Maple Leafs

2-0, 8 goals for, 5 goals against

  • Dec. 29, 2017, at Colorado: Colorado 4, Toronto 3 (OT)
  • Jan. 23, 2018, at Toronto: Colorado 4 Toronto 2

Here’s another team the Colorado Avalanche probably could have dominated but did not. They did, though, take both games, so that’s something.

J.T. Compher got the game-winning goal in overtime:

Colorado Avalanche vs Toronto Maple Leafs Team Grade: A-

Next: Avalanche Team Player Grades: Playoffs

You can’t go too hard on the Avalanche for their record against the Atlantic Division — it was very good. It’s a bummer they couldn’t get past a couple team, like Tampa, and other, such as Buffalo game them too much trouble. However, overall, the effort and results were there.

Colorado Avalanche vs Atlantic Division Team Grade: A-

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