Aarif Deen
It’s been three days since the Colorado Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.
All it took was a week for the Avalanche to erase an entire season of building towards something special. They led the NHL regular season for the last five months, on their way to another Presidents’ Trophy that was washed away by the Knights — just like it was in 2021.
You can’t tell the Avs’ WCF story without referencing the many injuries they sustained. This is fact.
From Cale Makar’s shoulder to Nathan MacKinnon’s knee, to injuries that likely affected the play of Sam Malinski, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin. I also have reason to believe that Brent Burns was dealing with an ankle issue right before the series began.
This one will probably sting for a long time. And several questions need to be answered in the coming weeks as we get closer to the NHL Draft and free agency. But first, lets look back at five mind-boggling statistics from the wasteful week that was — the one that ended the Avs’ season.
Losing Streak
In the playoffs, losing in regulation or overtime doesn’t make a difference. But when you look back at this season, it’s fascinating to see how bad that week against Vegas truly was.
The Avalanche lost two games in a row in regulation three times during the regular season. They had just one playoff loss leading up to the Western Conference Final.
Against the Knights, they not only lost four in a row, but they also suffered their first three-game losing streak. And on top of that, they also lost all four of them in regulation.
When Leading After 40 Minutes
This one goes back to Game 2. That was the Avalanche’s 93rd game this season, when combining regular season and playoffs. In 45 of the previous 92 (nearly half), the Avs held a lead when entering the third period. They were 45-0-0, never losing in those instances.
In Game 2, Colorado led 1-0 at the second intermission and lost. In regulation.
Multiple Goal Leads
Another season-long statistic was wiped away in an instant. The Avalanche led 3-0 in the first period of Game 3, which looked like the shift they needed. It was supposed to be the game that drifted the series back into a fight between two teams.
Instead, Colorado gave up that three-goal lead in the second period, let in the go-ahead goal to Tomas Hertl in the third, and allowed an empty-netter that pushed them into a 3-0 hole.
Not only did they blow a three-goal lead, but it was the Avalanche’s first time all season losing a game they led by multiple goals at any point. They were 52-0-0 before that.
Offense Dried Up
At no point this season, in any four-game stretch, did the Avalanche score only seven goals.
They did that against the Vegas Golden Knights.
How That Happened
The biggest factor for why the offense dried up was the lack of goal scoring from the top of the lineup.
The Avs had six players finish the season with 20 or more goals. Three of them scored more than 30.
None of them tallied a goal in the series against Vegas.
MacKinnon, who won his first Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy by leading the league with 53 goals, did not score a goal in a playoff series for the first time in his career.
Martin Necas, who had a career-high 38 goals and 100 points in the regular season, finished the playoffs with just one goal, and it came in Game 2 against the Minnesota Wild.
Brock Nelson had just two postseason goals (both empty-netters) and one assist. It’s a massive drop-off in offensive production for Nelson, who had 33 goals and 65 points in the regular season. He did not score against Vegas.
Makar finished with 20 goals in the regular season and had four in the first five games of the playoffs. He did not score after that, given that he was playing with an injury. He also only dressed in two games against the Knights.
Parker Kelly and Lehkonen each had 21 regular-season goals, and they also did not score against the Knights.