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Colorado Avalanche about to Embark on Mission 16 W

ByNadia Archuleta|
DENVER, CO - APRIL 22: A general view of the Pepsi Center prior to the Colorado Avalanche against the Nashville Predators in Game Six of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 22, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - APRIL 22: A general view of the Pepsi Center prior to the Colorado Avalanche against the Nashville Predators in Game Six of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 22, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Colorado Avalanche are about to embark on Mission 16W, the quest to win 16 playoff games and, therefore, the Stanley Cup.

The Colorado Avalanche are about to embark on the most hallowed of missions — 16 wins in the post-season. With 16 wins, whether in 16 to 28 games, regulation, sudden-death overtime — a team gets to raise the most celebrated of trophies above its collective heads — the Stanley Cup. You only have to beat a team four times in four series each to get there.

The Avalanche… are not the favored team. It should come as no surprise that the President’s Trophy powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning are the favored team:

If you look, though, Colorado has higher odds than the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets. And any team that has a ticket to the playoffs dance technically has a chance to accomplish Mission 16W.

Something that favors the Avalanche is that they have a hot goalie, and a hot goalie can carry you through the playoffs. Just look what Marc-Andre Fleury did for the rag-tag Vegas Golden Knights last year.

Fans and pundits alike bemoaned the goal tending situation as the Avalanche suffered the slump from December to February. As BSN’s A.J. Haefele pointed out on numerous occasions, the Avs were getting below-league average goal tending at the time.

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Well, they were getting much better than league-average goal tending at the end of the season. Starting with the playoff push at the beginning of March, Philipp Grubauer recorded an 8-1-2 record, including two shutouts. Only Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky posted a better wins total, including four shutouts.

Among starting goalies, Grubauer has the best save percentage, .954, and goals against average, 1.52, in that same span. In other words, Grubauer is coming in hot.

Another aspect that the Avalanche have in their favor is the top line in hockey. Winger Mikko Rantanen is expected to return to the lineup in Game 1 — it’s not confirmed, but he has been skating. Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan MacKinnon make up the hottest line in the NHL — they can be virtually unstoppable.

The biggest knock against the team is they don’t have much beyond those three. Colorado is not a deep team, not yet anyway. While all the players have been chipping in on offense, including the defensemen, it’s simply not a deep roster.

One last thing in their favor. If you look at NHL.com’s first-round predictions, every single pundit has the Calgary Flames winning the first round. No role suits the Colorado Avalanche better than that of underdog. Don’t think they can make it? They’ll show you!

In case you didn’t see it, the NHL has announced the schedule for the first round between the two teams:

PSA: Game 6, if it comes to that, is Easter Sunday. I’m not saying to cancel brunch with Grandma –maybe just schedule it early.

Anyway, the action starts on Thursday, April 11 in Calgary. Last season the Colorado Avalanche opened up the Pepsi Center to watch the games. No news yet on whether they’ll do that again this season. However, tickets are already on sale for the two guaranteed and single potential home games. They’re selling fast, though, and already Game 3 only has lower bowl tickets available. Don’t miss out on the fun.

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