There hasn’t really been much negative press on the Colorado Avalanche this season. Up to about a week ago, everything seemed to be smooth sailing. Injuries to Gabriel Landeskog and Devon Toews notwithstanding, the Avalanche were humming along on all cylinders.
However, the last 10 games have been less than stellar for the Avalanche. Even after Sunday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Avs are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. That’s nothing to sound the alarms about. But the mini-slump could cost Colorado the chance to set a major record.
The Avalanche were on track to break the Boston Bruins’ record of 135 points in a season set during the 2022-23 campaign. The Bruins won a mind-shocking 35 games, good for an .823 winning percentage.
After 50 games, the Avalanche are 35-6-9 good for 79 points. At his pace, the Avalanche are on pace for about 129 points. That mark would still tie the Avs for the fourth-most points in a season with the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens. That was a Canadiens team that won 59 games in an era when there were no overtime loser points. That club registered 11 ties as there were no shootouts in those days, either.
That said, the current pace the Avalanche are on would lead them to just miss becoming the fourth team in NHL history to rack up 130 points in a season. In addition to the aforementioned Bruins, the 1976-77 Canadiens and the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings are the other two clubs to have earned 130 points or more in a season.
Another prolonged winning streak would get the Avalanche back on record-breaking territory. The win against the Maple Leafs showed just how dominant Colorado can be, especially when they get fantastic goaltending.
Even if the Avalanche miss the all-time points record in a single season, there might be one record the team could still have a shot at. The only team that’s ended the season with single-digit losses was that 1976-77 Canadiens squad. That team racked up a 60-8-12 record for 132 points.
The record, of course, refers to an 80-game-plus season. Several teams have ended with single-digit-loss seasons in NHL history, but that was before the league played an extensive schedule.
So, it would be an interesting feat to see the Avalanche become the second team in NHL history to end the season with single-digit regulation losses.