Colorado Avalanche Bright Spots Despite 0-4 Start – The Hockey Writers – Colorado Avalanche

With a record of 0-4, the Colorado Avalanche has been disappointing so far. Their 20 goals allowed in the first three games set a team record, and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is struggling mightily. It’s only a week into the season, but his job could be on the line. But, even though the team is off to its worst start since 1998-99, there are some bright spots to be excited about.

Avalanche’s Offense Hasn’t Skipped a Beat

Despite some early-season rust, the Avalanche’s offense is still one of the most dangerous in the league. Critical players like Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, Jonathan Drouin, and Gabriel Landeskog are out with injuries, but the top six, including Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and Casey Mittelstadt, have carried the offensive load so far. 

Related: Colorado Avalanche Can Afford Slow Start to 2024-25 NHL Season

Through four games, the Avalanche have scored 13 goals, ranked 11th in the league. They have also been excellent on the power play, with a 50% success rate and a power-play goal in each game. They have enough firepower to keep their top unit loaded up while their players heal, which is how they’ve managed to keep games “close” to start the season.

The Avalanche is built on offense, with all of its stars able to pressure and overwhelm their opponents. This is a good sign because it shows that the team can score without Nichushkin, Drouin, and Lehkonen. The team would be in big trouble if it were having trouble scoring while allowing so many goals. Instead, it can focus on cleaning up its defensive zone play.

Avalanche Prospects Look Promising in Increased Roles

At the beginning of the season, we understood that players like Drouin, Lehkonen, Nichushkin, and Landeskog would miss some time. This meant that other players would need to step up and temporarily fill their roles. Given the team’s limited cap space, contributions would have to come from rookies and players on team-friendly contracts.

Calum Ritchie scored his first NHL goal to open the scoring against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Oct 12. It was an impressive play—with a smooth move to the net and converting a pass from Josh Manson for an easy tap-in. Ritchie excelled with the Oshawa Generals during the 2023-24 season, and despite coming off shoulder surgery in the offseason which had him start the season late, his career-high 28 goal, 80 point campaign ultimately made him the…