The Colorado Avalanche arrive at the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off break with a 33-22-2 record, good enough for fourth place in the Central Division. So it's a good time to evaluate the Avs' key areas and assign a grade for their performance. Let's get to it: OFFENSE: A The Avalanche have the NHL's ninth-best offense at an average of 3.25 goals-for per-game. And their power play efficiency was decent-enough at 21.3 percent. With superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar leading the way, producing goals hasn't been a problem for Colorado. The Cheat Sheet discusses the leading Norris Trophy candidate, Cale Makar and his success s The Avs are a top-heavy team when it comes to their offense, as the drop-off in generated offense is considerable after Makar and MacKinnon and new Colorado forward Martin Necas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/latest-news/avs-get-game-winning-goal-from-new-star-in-final-game-before-4-nations-face-off-break]. But when injured star winger Valeri Nichushkin eventually returns to action, the pressure on MacKinnon, Makar and Necas will ease. In any case, we're not concerned about the Avalanche's ability to produce points. They've got some of the most talented players on the planet, and that's only going to improve if and when the Avs add players via trade. DEFENSE: B- The Avalanche have the NHL's 19th-best defense at 3.04 goals-allowed per game, and their penalty-kill is 16th-best at 79.6 percent. Clearly, there's room for improvement in their own zone, and although Colorado's top-four D-men are the envy of the league, we expect Avs GM Chris MacFarland to bolster their third defense pairing [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/latest-news/are-avalanche-done-making-trades-this-year] at or before the NHL's March 7 trade deadline. Don't get it twisted -- the Avalanche's offense will still be the chief driver of their success. But you do need to be good at preventing the other team from scoring, and the Avs aren't nearly so dominant on 'D' so as to be deserving of an 'A' grade in this area. They're a work-in-progress defensively, and they need to be better to ascend to the top of the Central Division and Western Conference. GOALTENDING: B+ This grade would've been higher had the Avalanche remade their netminding picture in the off-season. But they didn't acquire starter Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood until the current season was a handful of weeks old, and that's why their grade here isn't an 'A'. But by the time the season completely unfolds, this area's grade will almost certainly be an 'A'. The Avs have found their starter in Blackwood, with Wedgewood shaping up as his understudy. And Blackwood's numbers -- including a .922 save percentage and 2.13 goals-against average in 22 appearances -- suggest that more accolades are coming his way. Blackwood will ultimately be tested in the post-season, but for now, Colorado has hit the bull's-eye with his acquisition.
