Despite losing a tight 1-0 game to the Winnipeg Jets, spirits were high for the Colorado Avalanche. Given the challenges they have faced this season, it had to feel good knowing they could go toe-to-toe with the best team in the NHL and come within a hair’s breadth of winning.
In a game that most expected to go against them, the Avalanche found their offense again in a home tilt with the Carolina Hurricanes. What resulted was a 6-4 win that has to have both the team and fan base feeling optimistic going forward. Let’s get into the key takeaways from this big victory.
Formidable Offense Is Only Going to Get Better
What the Avalanche did offensively against the Hurricanes is mighty impressive. The Hurricanes entered the game as a top-five team in goals against per game, yet the Avalanche managed to explode in the second period for five goals. With the holes in the lineup, that’s even more impressive.
Then again, it helps when you have three of the top 11 scorers in the NHL, including those in first (Nathan MacKinnon) and third (Cale Makar), respectively. When those key pieces like Jonathan Drouin and Valeri Nichushkin return, the Avalanche offense is only going to get better.
Related: Return of Lehkonen & Nichushkin Should Ignite Avalanche Attack
The Avalanche are currently 10th in the NHL in goals per game with 3.47 per contest. When the reinforcements arrive to join the top-end talent, the Avalanche are going to be a beast of a team. It will take them time to find their form, but the Avalanche will be a team no one will want to face.
Nathan MacKinnon Is Your Leader in the Clubhouse for MVP
How could it be anyone else at this point? MacKinnon made history earlier in the season and has continued at a torrid pace of 1.93 points per game through the first 15 contests. He added a goal and three assists in the win over the Hurricanes, taking him up to a ridiculous 29 points through the first 15 games.
He leads the league in that category and has the most assists in the league with 22. He is simply hitting another level at this stage of the season. Given that he is coming off his first league MVP, it’s even more impressive that he has not only continued his dominance but somehow grown it.
MacKinnon is hitting his prime right before our eyes. Given what a relentless competitor he is, a drop-off of any kind doesn’t seem likely. He also…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…