The Colorado Avalanche are off to a historic start to the 2026-27 season.

Through their first four games, the Avalanche have scored an astonishing 23 goals while posting a 3-1 record. That puts them in rare company, as no team had scored that many goals through four games to open a season since the 1993-94 Los Angeles Kings, who were led by Wayne Gretzky and head coach Barry Melrose.

Despite Gretzky putting together a league-leading 130-point campaign that season, the Kings struggled to find consistent success, finishing with a 27-45-12 record. Colorado will be hoping its own offensive explosion leads to a much different outcome.

With another Stanley Cup firmly in their sights, the Avalanche have championship aspirations that go well beyond a hot start. Their early production is an encouraging sign, and forward T.J. Hughes believes the talent throughout the locker room is a major reason for the team's success.

"Just the talent, the IQ in this room, and then guys just bearing down (and) scoring," Hughes said. "I know it's early. So got to keep that up and try to get the scoring touch with everyone, but I would just say the talent overall in the group, everyone's just so good."

Hughes is also beginning to make his own mark at the NHL level. At 6:34 of the third period against Calgary, with Colorado already holding a commanding 6-1 lead, he recorded the first point of his NHL career. After receiving a pass from Brett Kulak, Hughes quickly found Jaden Schwartz in the slot, where Schwartz buried the chance to extend the Avalanche's advantage.

"It felt great," Hughes said. "Great pass to me and then I saw (Schwartz) in the slot there and great shot by him."

The young forward also credited communication for the success of his line, which has found its rhythm despite having limited time to build chemistry together.

"I think just talking on the bench, a lot of communication," he explained. "I've never played with these two guys. Great players, but, like, takes time to get the chemistry. So yeah, a lot of communication, they're just reading off each other. So it's been working so far and it's gotta keep it up."

Hughes appears to be adjusting to the speed of the NHL with each passing game. While he looked a step behind at times in Colorado's season opener, he seems to be playing with more confidence and reacting more instinctively as he gains experience against top-level competition.

Much of Colorado's early offensive production has come from its biggest names. Nathan MacKinnon leads the team with eight points, while Jaden Schwartz and Cale Makar have six apiece. Makar and Devon Toews both scored twice against Calgary, helping power Colorado to a convincing 7-3 victory.

MacKinnon's production isn't surprising, but the contributions from players like Parker Kelly and Toews show just how much offensive depth Colorado has. Kelly has recorded five points through four games, while Toews has already scored twice after waiting until Colorado's 25th game last season to find the back of the net for the first time.

Toews opened the scoring against Calgary at 15:54 of the first period, redirecting a pass from Makar past Flames goaltender Devin Cooley. After Calgary briefly tied the game, Toews struck again in the second period to restore Colorado's lead.

His second goal came on a wrist shot from the point that traveled through traffic and beat Cooley, giving the Avalanche a 2-1 advantage. Makar then added a goal of his own before MacKinnon extended the lead to 4-1. Makar scored again early in the third, and Schwartz's goal off Hughes' setup made it 6-1.

For Toews, the offensive outburst comes down to finding ways to help the team win and making the most of opportunities created by his teammates.

"Winning's fun. It's what you're trying to do," Toews said. "So anytime we help our team win is what we're going out there to do."

Toews also credited Makar for delivering the puck exactly where it needed to be, explaining that his job was to provide an option in front of the net and let his teammate make the decision.

"I'm trying to give him an option and allow him to pick and choose what he wants to do," Toews said. "So, yeah, really nice play by him."

Calgary managed to score twice in the third period to cut into Colorado's lead, but the Avalanche had already inflicted enough damage to secure the win and improve to 3-1 through four games.

Four games are a small sample, and maintaining this scoring pace over an entire season is a tall order. Still, Colorado has shown that its offensive firepower extends beyond its biggest stars. With MacKinnon and Makar leading the way, Toews producing from the blue line, and emerging contributors like Kelly and Hughes finding their footing, the Avalanche are getting results from throughout the lineup.

Their historic start has already caught attention. Now, the challenge is turning that early momentum into another deep Stanley Cup run.