The Colorado Avalanche are playing this season just like their name suggests. The club is finding that they have one of the hottest offenses in the NHL, and are causing an avalanche when it comes to scoring goals. As the second half of the NHL season approaches, it is time to take a look at the Avalanche and give out grades for how well this team has done so far.
OFFENSE: A+
The Avalanche are playing just about perfect hockey when it comes to offense this season. The franchise leads the NHL in goals scored, with 188 total goals through the first half of the year, per league stats. The team is averaging a whopping 3.84 goals per game this season, again leading the league.
The man primarily responsible for that number is Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon. MacKinnon is leading the team in total points, with 84 points during this campaign. That's also second in the NHL. He's tied for first in the league with 53 assists, helping significantly to the team's offensive output. MacKinnon went crazy in a January 24 game against the Washington Capitals, easing his way around the ice and scoring four goals in a 6-2 win for the Avalanche. The young center is making the case he should win the Hart Trophy this season as the NHL's most valuable player with this offensive fire power.
The offense has given the team a great deal of overall success. The Avalanche are second in the NHL in wins this season, with 32 victories in 49 games played. The team is sitting in first in the Western Conference's Central Division, with 67 total points. The Avalanche are also second in points in the entire Western Conference, with only the Vancouver Canucks ahead of them. If the club can keep the goals coming, it's looking like they will contend for a spot in this year's Stanley Cup.
DEFENSE: B-
If there's an area where the Avalanche could see some improvement, it's on defense. The team has given up a total of 152 goals this season, which is right in the middle of the pack in the NHL at 14th overall. Colorado is giving up 3.10 goals per game, which is also not in the top ten of league defenses this season. Overall, the team's defense has been average, and the numbers seem to back that up.
The club is making moves to improve their defense. Former Avalanche goal tender Ivan Prosvetov was placed on waivers by the team during the All-Star break, per TSN. Prosvetov was used as a backup for the franchise. He appeared in 11 games for the club this year, posting a 4-3-1 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage.
The Avalanche are going to need better performances from starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev. On the season, the goal tender has done a solid job with 27 victories in 41 appearances. He's not been consistently good, however. Georgiev is allowing 2.91 goals per game, which is higher than what the club is looking for right now. The 27-year-old Bulgaria native put together an impressive performance in the All-Star festivities, mostly shutting down Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, per The Hockey News. If the young goalie can carry that momentum into the second half of the year, the Avalanche are going to overpower a lot of teams in the NHL.
Colorado heads into the second half of the season with a 32-14-3 record. The team starts its final half of the campaign with a game Monday against the New York Rangers. The puck drops at 7:00 Eastern.
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