In our pre-season predictions, the Colorado Avalanche were this writer’s pick to win the Central Division and be a frontrunner to win the Stanley Cup. That’s hardly a stretch, given how deep and talented the Avalanche were on paper.

But not even the Avs’ most fervent advocates believed they’d be as dominant as they’ve looked through the first 20 percent of this season. 

Indeed, Colorado has posted a 12-1-5 record thus far this season. That’s right, the Avalanche have lost just once in regulation time this year. That is astonishing, particularly when you consider the teams they’ve beaten this season.

To wit: the Avs are currently on a five-game win streak, with victories over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, and Buffalo Sabres. In addition, Colorado has beaten the Los Angeles Kings, Utah Mammoth, New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights. Out of those teams, only the Canucks and Sabres are subpar teams this year.

The truly impressive thing to note about the Avalanche is that they’re dominating at both ends of the ice. The Avs have the NHL’s best offense, averaging a whopping 4.11 goals-for per game. They also have the league’s best defense, averaging just 2.44 goals-against per game. So it’s no wonder Colorado is the NHL’s top team right now.

NHL Power Rankings: Avalanche Thrive As Leafs, Jackets And More Fall One week made a big difference in the NHL power rankings, with injuries continuing to be a big story and lengthy winning and losing streaks standing out.

That said, another impressive element in the Avalanche’s stunning start is the fact that starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood didn’t play a game (due to injury) until Nov. 1. Since Blackwood has returned to action, he’s posted subpar individual numbers, including an .870 save percentage and 3.28 goals-against average. 

In Blackwood’s stead, the Avalanche have leaned heavily on backup Scott Wedgewood, and he’s been terrific, putting up a 10-1-2 record, a 2.26 GAA and a .913 SP. Avs GM Chris MacFarland has rewarded Wedgewood with a one-year contract extension, which provides Wedgewood with job security through the 2026-27 campaign. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has taken a tough-love approach when it comes to giving Blackwood the lion’s share of the work, and you can’t blame Bednar for it. He’s riding the hot hand, and that raises the competitive bar for both Blackwood and Wedgewood.

Now, it hasn’t been all sunshine and lollipops in Denver. The Avalanche did stumble through a four-game losing streak at the end of October. But even then, the Avs took two of those four games to overtime, and a third game to the shootout, which we know is a crapshoot. And since that stretch, Colorado has gone 7-0-1 to underscore their status as the NHL’s gold standard team. 

All things considered, if you’re an Avalanche fan, you couldn’t be happier with the way this team has come out of the gate. And considering that Colorado’s next five games come against the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, the Avs may go through the first 25 games of this season with only one regulation loss. And that is absolutely incredible. 

Expectations on the Avalanche were sky-high entering this season, and the Avs have more than lived up to those expectations. So long as the Avalanche stay healthy, as far as we’re concerned, all roads to the Cup go through Colorado this season.

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