The Colorado Avalanche have officially clinched a playoff berth, after defeating the last-place Chicago Blackhawks by a final score of 4-1. With that, they will get a chance to play for the Stanley Cup, no matter how the rest of the regular season goes. That being said, however, that does not mean that they can afford to sit back for the final 14 games of the regular season.
They technically are still playing for seeding. While they currently are in first place in the Western Conference, the Stars are just four points (two wins) away from tying Colorado if the Avs end up losing a couple of games. That’s not the end of the world, but who you play in the playoffs can certainly have an effect on the outcome.
The Avalanche shouldn’t be scared of any team, though. Sure, they have had some difficult losses, but in a seven-game series, I think that I would take the bet that they would come out on top, especially when they get healthy.
Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen are injured, but both should return to action soon. That’s will also give them plenty of time to get back into the swing of things in preparation for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Being healthy is one thing, but being hockey-ready is another. It might take either or both of them some time to get back to their old selves after missing some time. The same goes for Logan O’Connor, but who actually knows when he will truly return? That’s something that has been frustrating to monitor this year.
The Avs have lost in frustrating fashion at times this season, specifically over the last couple of days. They fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-2 in a game that was without Sidney Crosby, and they lost by a score of 2-1 against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday as they were almost completely unsuccessful in finding the back of the net on 34 shots on goal, while Dallas had just 18. Those games are going to happen—the offensive guys just need to figure out their side of the deal and solve opposing goaltenders.
The job is not complete. It’s not complete by any means. Every team has 82 total regular season games, and the Avs were able to prevent the Blackhawks from playing spoiler, and have become the first team to clinch a playoff spot for the 2025-26 season.
Onto Washington to play the Capitals on Sunday.