Colorado Avalanche: 3 Franchise Highlights for 2018
Mac is second in the NHL in scoring.
If it weren’t for the heroics of Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon would lead the NHL in scoring. Both men have been accelerating away from third place Connor McDavid. That’s how special the top line is, we’ve covered it often.
Though Rantanen leads Mac in scoring, there’s little question as to who the best player on the Avalanche is. It’s been a couple of seasons coming but MacKinnon is arguably the best player in hockey. He has an incredible shot, he sees things that others can’t see. He’s fast and when he’s on, he is as close to unstoppable as it gets.
The good news for Avalanche fans is that Mac is “on” quite a bit. He trails Rantanen in assists 34-43 and Landeskog in goals 22-24. Mikko has him overall in points 56-59. The fact that he doesn’t dominate offensive numbers point to his maturity and leadership. He can dominate without being dominant and that’s important, particularly to this Avalanche squad.
Because they rely so heavily on the top line for scoring, it’s imperative that scoring is spread between the three members of the line. That balance has kept the line and by extension the Avalanche afloat through scoring droughts and defensive adversity.
If the Avs score one goal in a game, it’s usually from the top line. If they score six, four are from the top line. The trio is that important to the Avs fortunes and until another group steps up they will remain so for the foreseeable future.
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It’s certainly not a bad position to be in and MacKinnon gives us an “all things are possible” confidence with his game. A confidence that’s been absent in Colorado honestly since Joe Sakic‘s retirement. We flirted with it with players like Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly and Chris Stewart but it’s solidified with the current roster.
As players like Alexander Kerfoot get better and fill those gaps beyond the top line, the Avalanche fortunes will continue to improve.
There’s hope all over this roster, if they can stay healthy and hold it together while they develop some depth, the future is bright indeed for this Colorado Avalanche team. Welcome back, Avs!