DENVER (KDVR) — The Colorado Avalanche still have 78 games to play this year, but a way-too-early analysis should have Avs fans buzzing with excitement.
A championship will never be decided in the first four games of the season, but if the Avalanche can keep up the pace for the rest of the year, anybody who qualifies for the playoffs will hope to steer clear of the Avs, who are tied with the best odds to win the Stanley Cup, according to pre-season polls.
So far, the Avalanche leads all teams that have played four games this season. The Avs sit at seven points, with the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins trailing behind with six. This will definitely vary later on, but for now, it’s nice to see a positive start.
The names of Avalanche players are scattered across the early-season leaderboards, with statistics, including:
Total points
Two Avalanche players are tied for first, with eight total points.
- Nathan MacKinnon, T-1st: Eight points
- Martin Necas, T-1st: Eight points
Goals
The two aforementioned players are also in the top five for goals scored, though Necas is in a 12-way tie.
- MacKinnon, T-2nd: Four goals
- Necas, T-5th: Three goals
Assists
There are many ties for the assist leaders, but one player is tied at the top, and two others are tied for sixth.
- Necas, T-1st: Five assists
- MacKinnon, T-6th: Four assists
- Cale Makar, T-6th: Four assists
+/-
MacKinnon and Necas once again pop up, and two more Avs aren’t too far behind.
- MacKinnon, T-1st: +6
- Necas, T-1st: +6
- Artturi Lehkonen, T-3rd: +5
- Makar, T-7: +4
Wins
The Avalanche is deploying a combination of woods at the goalie position. MacKenzie Blackwood is injured to start the year, and Scott Wedgewood appears to have taken to the starting role like a fish to water.
- Wedgewood, T-1st: Three wins
Shots against
Wedgewood has proved resilient after being put through a trial by fire. No netminder has faced as many shots as him.
- Wedgewood, 1st: 109 shots against
The Avalanche has a core of players that makes them a title contender every year. Things got shaken up in the middle of last season, when the franchise decided to trade star player Mikko Rantanen in a deal that saw the Avs acquire Necas.
The team still made the playoffs, but just didn’t completely look like they were all on the same page. After several more moves and a full offseason to work out the kinks, the Avs are off to the races.
Necas, in particular, has shown signs that he is ready to assume the role of a marquee player and dispelled doubts about whether he could fill the void left by the Rantanen trade.
Bettors believe this is the year that the Avalanche can reclaim the Stanley Cup and have them listed as co-favorites with the Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
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