The Colorado Avalanche are having the best start to a season with a 17-1-5 record as they take on the Minnesota Wild on Friday in a division matchup. Going in-depth with the stats, we’ll notice that there’s one thing that stands out: They are on a team record-setting pace.
They are averaging over four goals per game, which is absolutely bonkers. If they did keep up that pace (highly unlikely with a long season still ahead), they would tie three teams in the record books around mid-60s overall: The 1985-86 Philadelphia Flyers, 1992-93 Buffalo Sabres, and 1992-93 New York Islanders—all who scored 335 goals in a season. The difference between this Avs team and the teams I just listed is that the Flyers played 80 games, while the Sabres and Islanders played 84 back then.
The fact that 335 goals were scored by two teams in 84 games (3.988) and once by a team in an 80-game season (roughly 4.2) is still outstanding considering surely there were games that those teams struggled in. Comparitevely, the Avs scored just two goals against the Sharks on November 1st (a loss in overtime), once goal against the Golden Knights in a losing effort, and a 1-0 win against the Blackhawks on November 23.
The 2021-22 Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche recorded 312 goals in the regular season. That’s an average of 3.8 points per game, just short of this season’s average. Needless to say, the team is playing even better than they were during that regular season. The big question is whether or not they eventually cool down. However, we will cross that bridge if/when we get there.
The Avs are hoping for big things from captain Gabriel Landeskog this year, his first season back since 2021-22. He’s unfortunately had a number of goals taken away because of penalties or offsides, so he really should have had more than his actual count of two goals in 23 games.
Depth scoring and reinforcements are on their way to the Colorado Avalanche
Additionally, Valeri Nichushkin is a key piece to this team. He has five goals in 17 games. Nichushkin has been hurt. Reports suggest that while he won’t be playing at Minnesota on Friday, there’s a “good chance” he’ll be able to take the ice against the Montreal Canadiens at home on Saturday afternoon. I fully expect him to be back to his old self, though we know how that sometimes can go. Either way, whether or not he scores in the next couple of games, he’ll help out in other ways, too. I’m not worried unless he gets hurt again.
We haven’t even seen Logan O’Connor yet either. He’ll contribute especially on special teams, but has chipped in with goals here and there during his career.
The thing about this Avalanche team is that they have some depth pieces. Gavin Brindley (also recently injured), Victor Olofsson, Sam Malinski and even Zakhar Bardakov have chipped in with scoring. Joel Kiviranta also recorded a goal on Wednesday against the Sharks.
All of this points towards depth scoring. If some of the team’s big stars are having a rough go at any point, it’s good to have players who have shown that they can fill in the gap. That’s a sign of a championship team. They just have to continue to show that they can keep it up for a full 82-game season.
There is plenty of hockey left to be played, and Avalanche fans should be ecstatic about their immediate future. It won’t shock me if they continue to dominate opponents and are heavy Stanley Cup contenders.