The Colorado Avalanche have been up and down at times during the 2023-24 NHL season. Earlier in the year, I had stated that I didn’t think they were a playoff team “yet.” That has since changed, as they are on a roll! The Avalanche are currently fighting for first place in the Central Division, They currently sit second behind the Jets, as they both have 93 points but the Jets have the tiebreaker.
When it comes to power rankings, a lot of it is opinion, but opinions can be based off of facts/stats. In one of the latest power rankings out ther on the internet, the Avalanche sit in fourth place. Ahead of them are the Boston Bruins (3), Florida Panthers (T-1), and the Winnipeg Jets (T-1).
Here’s what Bleacher Report, who made these power rankings, said for the Colorado Avalanche:
"Previous Ranking: 7LYLE FITZSIMMONS — Bleacher Report
Overall Record: 44-20-5
Everyone knew the Avalanche were good, but what they may be discovering is just how dominant they can be when things are going well. Colorado is the league's hottest team with seven straight wins, a stretch in which they've outscored foes by a 31-13 margin."
Boy, seven-straight wins with a score differential of 31-13 during that time is absolutely wild. This Colorado Avalanche team has been on fire since the trade deadline passed, with the acquisitions of several new players. Those players have been huge in the team’s success as of late and the fact that we were able to get one of them, Sean Walker, who has been outstanding, in the trade that sent Ryan Johansen to the Flyers is incredible. We basically stole Walker. Although we gave up a first-round pick in that trade, I'm okay with it.
I’ll be interested to see the progression of the goaltending and defense going forward. Before the trade deadline, some had questions for both of those areas of the team. Since then, Justus Annunen has been awesome as the backup for Alexandar Georgiev, and I just feel like the team is playing so much better. It’s also nice to see Bo Byram succeed in Buffalo since he was traded to the Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt. Both teams seem to have won that trade.
The Colorado Avalanche need to keep their foot on the gas pedal going forward. They have 13 games remaining, with their next game on Friday at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets.