Colorado Avalanche: Checking in at the Quarter-Season Mark
![DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 04: Members of the Colorado Avalanche stand during the National Anthem prior to the game against the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center on October 4, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 04: Members of the Colorado Avalanche stand during the National Anthem prior to the game against the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center on October 4, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/2ced8de602e0a1abd16a3d6e732121e12cf1302434911075c51b39d8645559b1.jpg)
Team Leaders
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We’re not just talking about team leaders at this point. We’re talking about NHL leaders. Indeed, we’re talking about franchise leaders, which is insane.
The top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog is on fire.
Rantanen leads the team with 32 points (8 goals, 24 assists). Scratch that — he leads the entire NHL with 32 points. MacKinnon is right behind him on the team — and the entire NHL — with 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists).
What’s more, Rantanen is the first player in the entire NHL to reach 30 points, which he did against the Ducks with his three-point night. He’s only the third Avs player to accomplish that feat, with Peter Forsberg having done so in 1995-96, and Joe Sakic having done so in 1996-97.
Rantanen leads the entire NHL in assists with that 24, and Landeskog tops the entire NHL in plus-minus with +13. (No, I’m not getting tired of emphasizing the entire NHL thing — it’s been a long time.) MacKinnon and Landeskog both have 13 goals, which ties them for third place in the entire NHL.
The top line — which I like to call the Who’s Your Daddy Line — also leads the entire NHL in points with 83, thanks partially to their eight-point night against the Ducks. No, really, I’m getting a little giddy typing all this.
MacKinnon is tied for first place for even-strength goals (11), while Landeskog is in second place for game-winning goals with four. Ahem, in the entire NHL.
Landeskog set a new Avalanche record for the month of October with his 10 goals. He also was the first franchise player to reach double-digits in October since Owen Nolan did so for the Nordiques in 1991. The last player to score 10+ goals in a month was Matt Duchene, who had that historic November during the 2015-16 season (11 goals).
And little old Tyson Barrie? Well, he’s fourth on the team with 17 points (1 goal, 16 assists). With his assist on Sunday evening, he tied Adam Foote for second place all-time among Avalanche defensemen with 203. His sights are now set on the assists leader, John-Michael Liles, with 207. He could well overtake Liles for points this season, having 265 to Liles 275.