Avalanche now lead the NHL in total goals as offense goes bonkers
Jan 17, 2024, 11:27 AM | Updated: 2:02 pm
The Colorado Avalanche can score goals with the best of them.
In fact, they are the best.
After a 7-4 beatdown of the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night, Colorado now leads the NHL in total goals. The Avs have 170 through 45 games, or 3.78 goals per contest. The Vancouver Canucks have 168 goals and the Dallas Stars have 160. For perspective, 32nd on the list is the San Jose Sharks with just 89 goals on the season. The Avalanche have nearly doubled them up.
However, Colorado is also giving up a fair amount of goals. Just in the month of January they’ve played games that have finished 5-4, 5-4, 8-4, 4-3, 5-3, 4-3 and 7-4. The Avalanche went 5-2 overall in those seven outings.
On offense, it’s the usual suspects pacing the club. Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin all have at least 20 goals, although Nichushkin will miss time as he seeks help in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program. Cale Makar has 52 points, a ridiculous total for a defenseman, and Devon Toews, Jonathan Drouin and Ross Colton all have at least 20 points.
The goaltending has been a bit of a different story, as Alexandar Georgiev is an All-Star, but his save percentage is just .897 percent. That ranks 42nd in the NHL among goalies who have played at least 14 games.
So the question becomes, is it sustainable to win another Stanley Cup playing this style? The shorts answer is probably not. Generally, things tighten up in the playoffs and goals are at more of a premium.
But you can’t make the dance or get a top-seed unless you win enough games, and that’s what the Avalanche are doing right now. Their 29-13-3 record has them sitting second in the Central Division with 61 points, just one behind the Winnipeg Jets. They’re also just a single point out of the top spot in the Western Conference, trailing Vancouver, who also scores a lot of goals.
For now, the Avs are really fun to watch, and the stats prove that. However, if you asked head coach Jared Bednar, he’d probably prefer to be winning games 4-1 instead of 7-4.
