The Colorado Avalanche are seriously cooking right now. Ever since that night a month ago against the Stars, which went to OT and saw the Avs trail home, dreading the season ahead, they have entered an entirely new gear.
Now, the Avs are not looking back at all. With 5 (yes, five) straight wins of late, Jared Bednar's team is jumping for joy. They are getting all the flowers right now, and it's clear to see why.
And look, that uprise has many layers, but none more so than their most reliable player.
The Colorado Avalanche's most reliable player is melting the ice
Nathan MacKinnon has been the Avs' most reliable player. He has amassed an impressive 33 points, scoring eight goals and providing 15 assists. The Avalanche have not seen a player with quite as much range as MacKinnon in a long time.
Just last night, the NHL's leading scorer added to his impressive scoring streak, with an assist. At this point, with 1,048 points, he is second only to Joe Sakic (1,641) on the franchise list.
To say a pre-existing player is the biggest game-changer on the Avs roster might seem like a stretch. However, despite always being good, even MacKinnon would be impressed by the performances he's been putting in this season.
Just a few months ago, if you were to walk into a room of hockey fans and dub MacKinnon as the best player in the world, a few of them would have walked away slowly while looking at you judgementally. But now, that claim doesn't seem as far-fetched as it once was. MacKinnon really is that guy.
Heck, many MacKinnon doubters turned into MacKinnon believers when the Avalanche thrashed the Oilers 9-1 in their own backyard. Oilers captain, Connor McDavid, is often regarded as the NHL's best player, but MacKinnon walked him around like a puppy that night.
One game is not enough to knock a king off their throne. However, that night was at least confirmation of something that every Avs fan already knew: MacKinnon has entered a whole new gear this season.
MacKinnon was always good. As far as future Hall of Famers go, he is the best case that the Avs can put forward. But let's save that conversation for a new day, a new decade even; it's far from time for Avalanche fans to even think about MacKinnon hanging up his blades.
Make no doubt about it - The Avalanche are a better team with MacKinnon in it. While they won't want to rely on him too much, he's proven more than reliable. Everybody, except MacKinnon himself, is surprised by how much he continues to improve as a player.