The Colorado Avalanche officially clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night. The Avalanche have an even 100 points and are four full points clear of the Dallas Stars.
While it’s certainly cause for celebration, nailing down a postseason berth is just the beginning. The Avs will now embark on the hardest path to a championship in pro sports.
Hockey is hard enough. Playing through 82 games is pretty tough. But it takes 16 more wins to claim a championship.
Unlike European soccer, where there are no playoffs, hockey demands a high degree of tenacity and resilience. Getting past the gauntlet that is the NHL playoffs is no easy task,
That’s why the real fun is just beginning for Colorado. The Avalanche can’t back down now. This time is precisely the point where they’ll need to step on the gas and pick up steam heading into the final 14 games of the season.
This regular season has been remarkable for the club. The team is on pace to easily surpass the 2022 Cup champs. But the only real way the Avs can do that is by winning another title.
Nathan MacKinnon inches up scoring leaderboard
The Avalanche have been rolling collectively. But individually, Nathan MacKinnon is poised to make history.
The Avs’ top scorer notched three assists against the Blackhawks, bringing his season point total to 114. That’s one point shy of the leader, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
MacKinnon has been consistently tearing up the league this season. His 45 goals and 69 assists are good enough for his fourth-straight 100-plus point season. It’s also the seventh season of his career in which he’s topped 90 points.
But leapfrogging McDavid and claiming the NHL’s scoring title would have particular individual significance for MacKinnon. It would be his first season as the league’s scoring champ.
Even in 2023-24, when MacKinnon topped 50 goals and 140 points, he could not catch that season’s leading scorer, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While a Stanley Cup would certainly be far more important than an individual title, it would still be a truly satisfying personal accomplishment to add an Art Ross Trophy to the collection.