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Colorado Avalanche: Who Will Be the Toughest Round Robin Opponent?

By Nadia Archuleta

DALLAS, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche checks Joe Pavelski #16 of the Dallas Stars into the glass in the first period at American Airlines Center on November 05, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche checks Joe Pavelski #16 of the Dallas Stars into the glass in the first period at American Airlines Center on November 05, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 23: Deryk Engelland #5 of the Vegas Golden Knights crashes into Pierre-Edouard Bellemare #41 of the Colorado Avalanche as Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Golden Knights defends the net in the third period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on December 23, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Avalanche defeated the Golden Knights 7-3. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 23: Deryk Engelland #5 of the Vegas Golden Knights crashes into Pierre-Edouard Bellemare #41 of the Colorado Avalanche as Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Golden Knights defends the net in the third period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on December 23, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Avalanche defeated the Golden Knights 7-3. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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.

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