A little over half way through the season, the Colorado Avalanche still sit at the top of the standings and ranked first in almost every category including odds to win the Stanley Cup, goals scored per game, goals against, and their penalty kill also comes in at third in the league.
Even so, the Avs have hit a skid this past month, starting with a loss to the Florida Panthers on January 4th, in which captain Gabriel Landeskog left with an upper-body injury after crashing into the Panther's net. Since then, the Avs are 4-7 in their last 12 games played without Landeskog. The slight stall in the wagon that is this Avalanche team has narrowed the standings and let two divisional rivals put pressure on them.
The Minnesota Wild have shifted into third place in league standings with 72 points, only seven points behind Colorado, and closely behind them comes the Dallas Stars at fifth with 71 points. Since the Wild acquired defenseman Quinn Hughes, the standings in the Central division were expected to tighten between Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota, and as the Avs struggle to get their footing back without Landeskog, the race is in fact growing tighter.
Should Colorado Avalanche fans panic?
The big question has become; Is it time for Avs fans to panic?
Truthfully, it isn't that time yet, even if fan reactions have shown otherwise. Despite online panicking and complaints on social media, the bottom line is that Avalanche fans have been spoiled all season with such a winning team that the bumps in the road are feeling like canyons. The Avs are cushioned by the points they've accumulated so far, they still sit with only eight regulation losses, making them the only team in the league with single digit losses, and there's reprieve up ahead.
Landeskog began skating again on January 27th, as well as defenseman Devon Toews, who's been out for about three weeks with a upper body injury, and both are expected back around the Olympic break. Colorado has only two games to play in February before the Olympians depart for Milan and the others sit back somewhere sunny and warm, and the team will come back to a divisional matchup in Utah on February 25th, hopefully well rested and with reinforcements.
Colorado played their final game of January on Saturday at 11:00 am MT in Detroit, where they've already shifted the narrative back in their favor with a dominate 5-0 win that sent Wings fans to the doors not even halfway through the final frame. MacKinnon led the team with two goals and a, assist, and a goal apiece from Brent Burns, Ross Colton, and Parker Kelly padded the lead. After a 5-2 loss to Ottawa and a 7-3 loss in Montreal, this was a much needed big win to end their road trip. The Avs will be back at Ball Arena on Monday where they'll celebrate their annual Pride Night in another duel with Detroit. Two days later, the Sharks come to town for the final game before the break.
When the Avs return, they'll face Minnesota at home on February 26th after defeating the Wild 5-1 in their previous matchup back in December. Come March, they'll take a trip down to Dallas to take on Mikko Rantanen and the Stars, followed by the Wild again two days later.
As long as Colorado can hold steady for the next few games and regain their powerhouse momentum after the Olympics, Avalanche fans can cheer on the numerous Avs players representing their countries in Italy, and sleep easy knowing their team has got through bumps and are ready to push ahead.