Oh, the Colorado Avalanche have their fair share of issues, and we can look no further than the poor play of Alexandar Georgiev and Company. But, just how bad have the Avs been in the save percentage metric against the rest of the NHL?
To put it lightly, I’ll just say it’s been bad. But if you’re looking for a visual, keep reading to see where the Avs rank, and how conducive it may be to find a solution to this problem quickly.
The 0.900 Club
- NY Rangers: 0.934
- Winnipeg Jets: 0.918
- Anaheim Ducks: 0.915
- Dallas Stars: 0.912
- Detroit Red Wings: 0.911
- Minnesota Wild: 0.907
- Toronto Maple Leafs: 0.903
- Calgary Flames: 0.901
- New Jersey Devils: 0.900
We got some of the best teams in the league in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, plus quite a few serious contenders in the 0.900 club. The Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames are the only two I wouldn’t quite say are serious contenders, even if the latter has looked good in a few instances this season.
The 89’s
- St. Louis Blues: 0.899
- Carolina Hurricanes: 0.896
- Washington Capitals: 0.895
- Chicago Blackhawks: 0.894
- Vegas Golden Knights: 0.893
- NY Islanders: 0.893
- Seattle Kraken: 0.892
- San Jose Sharks: 0.892
- Buffalo Sabres: 0.891
- Florida Panthers: 0.890
The St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, NY Islanders, Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks, and Buffalo Sabres don’t look like true contenders this season. So, this shows us that you don’t necessarily need a solid but unspectacular save percentage to be a great team.
Overall, the Florida Panthers rank 19th in the league in the metric, so if the defending Stanley Cup Champions don’t need it, nor do the Avalanche, especially with the Avs high-octane scorers. But, it also shows us just how bad Colorado is in the save percentage metric, as if Georgiev or Justus Annunen strung together even adequate performances, this team would be winning more.
The 88’s
- LA Kings: 0.888
- Vancouver Canucks: 0.888
- Ottawa Senators: 0.888
- Pittsburgh Penguins: 0.888
- Boston Bruins: 0.885
- Columbus Blue Jackets: 0.885
- Tampa Bay Lightning: 0.883
- Utah Hockey Club: 0.883
- Nashville Predators: 0.883
Once again, we’re seeing some contenders here, so maybe the Avs goaltenders just don’t have to be so awful all the time. The LA Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Tampa Bay Lightning are all great hockey teams. Some, like the Boston Bruins, could use better play in the net, but they also don’t have a high-octane group this year, or at least that’s the case at the moment.
The 87s and under
- Edmonton Oilers: 0.878
- Montreal Canadiens: 0.876
- Philadelphia Flyers: 0.863
- Colorado Avalanche: 0.835
Like I said, the Avs aren’t just playing poorly in this category; they’re by far the worst in the league. The good news? If they can just find a way into The 88’s, maybe they’ll pull off some better play overall and accumulate much-needed points.