Colorado Avalanche: Who Will Be the Toughest Round Robin Opponent?
The Colorado Avalanche will play a round robin against three other Western Conference teams. Who will be the toughest opponent?
The Colorado Avalanche are well into their Phase 2 with players in informal practices at the Pepsi Center. We looked at a couple of their sessions in this post:
light. Related Story. Second Phase 2 Group
In addition to the players in the post, Andre Burakovsky has returned to Denver. Vladislav Kamenev is with the NHL Russians in Florida.
These informal groups are scheduled to take place until July 9. On July 10, Phase 3 starts, which consists of formal training camps. All players who will enter the playoff bubble with the rest of the team are expected to be in attendance. Teams will fly out to their hub cities either July 23 or 24, play exhibition games, and start the round robin or qualification round on July 30.
The Avalanche have already qualified for the playoffs. So, they’ll play a round robin against three other teams for seeding. Those three other teams are the other top teams in the Western Conference. The Central Division is an especially tough division, so three of the four round robin teams are from there.
Those three round robin games aren’t as impactful as the qualification games. However, they represent a chance for the Colorado Avalanche to get sharp in time for the first round of the playoffs.
So, let’s look at each of the three teams and what kind of competition they’ll offer to Colorado.
St. Louis Blues
The Colorado Avalanche played the St. Louis Blues four times this season. They were set to play them a fifth time for what was going to probably be the game to determine the Western Conference champion. That game, the final home game of the season, was canceled.
The Avs split the two games with St. Louis. They each won at home. The games were high scoring affairs, with Colorado edging out St. Louis by one goal — 15-14.
Nonetheless, the Avs spent most of the season two points behind the Blues for Best in the West. Always with a game in hand, but in the end that got wiped out by the pandemic and resultant cancellation.
Challenges from the Blues
The St. Louis Blues are the reigning Cup champions. Their team is mostly the same from when they won last year. They’re a relentless team who knows how to win.
The Blues will also have one of their great stars back, Vladimir Tarasenko. He missed most of the season with a shoulder injury that required surgery. However, he’s been cleared to play whenever the season resumes.
Advantages for the Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche didn’t play most of the season without one of their great stars — they played most of the season missing large percentages of their roster. With the exception of Colin Wilson — no official word — every single player has been cleared to play. They’re coming in healthy, and that’s a big boon.
While goalie Philipp Grubauer may beg to differ, the Avalanche don’t mind playing high scoring games. They’ve got plenty of players on the roster who love to score. So, if it becomes a shooting match, Colorado will come with their guns blazing.
Dallas Stars
The Colorado Avalanche played the Dallas Stars four times this season. They didn’t have any more games scheduled. Yeah, unfortunately the Stars swept the series 0-2-2.
As you can see, though, two of those games went to overtime. Indeed, one went all the way to the shootout. So, it’s not like Dallas dominated Colorado. What’s more, one of the other games was close, 2-1.
Challenges from the Stars
On paper, the two teams are well matched. They both like to skate and shoot. So, a major challenge from the Stars is going to be the Avs — specifically their head space. They know the season record against Dallas. They can’t let that get into their minds.
Dallas also has a little more grit than Colorado. If things get physical, the Stars have a slight advantage.
Advantages for the Avalanche
They have Miro Heiskenan, the player Colorado wanted in the 2017 NHL Draft. We got Cale Makar instead, and he’s the better player. Makar also shines in the big games.
If the games are largely run-and-gun, Colorado has the advantage. The Avs have more speed than practically any team, and their skill is top-notch. As noted, they played most of the season missing at least one star, and they still had the better season than Dallas.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Colorado Avalanche played Vegas twice this season. They bested the Knights both times, and significantly. The scores were 6-1 and 7-3, meaning they outscored Vegas 13-4. They had one more game scheduled.
For some reason, namely the 7-0 debacle that was Colorado’s debut in Vegas, the Knights have a small space in my head where they’re living rent-free. I don’t like the Avs playing the Knights, even though Colorado seems to think differently.
Challenges from the Knights
When he’s on his game, Marc-Andre Fleury is an almost impossible goalie to beat. And he’s been known to have Colorado’s number. That wasn’t the case this year, but playoffs Fleury is a different animal.
Vegas is also a big, heavy team. If they decide to start in with the rough stuff, things can get ugly. They can definitely present a problem for Colorado in that respect.
Advantages for the Avalanche
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is a former Golden Knights, and he still makes his home in Vegas. Yet he loves scoring against his old team. He did so three times during the season — that’s a third of his total goals that came against Vegas.
Aside from Bellemare, Colorado has the distinct advantage in goal scorers, obviously. Our healthy top line alone can wreck havoc on their system. If it’s a skating game, the Avalanche will win.
light. Related Story. Prospects in the Round Robin?
One of the most interesting aspects of this round robin — besides getting to see Avs hockey again — will be to see how intense the games are. The Colorado Avalanche have one of the most competitive men in the NHL in Nathan MacKinnon. I suspect from Colorado’s perspective, then, these games will be filled with playoff intensity.