Avalanche Clinch, but the Mission Isn't Complete Yet

The Colorado Avalanche became the second team to clinch a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the first Western Conference team to do so. The Avs entered their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins only needing one more point in the standings to get in, and decided to go for two and the proverbial jugular. Colorado won 6-4 behind two goals from Nathan MacKinnon, as well as Josh Manson and Arturri Lehkonen scoring their first goals since being traded to the team, and for the Avs, it's a season series sweep, with both wins coming in a span of four days.

The Avalanche also became the first team to reach 50 wins this year, placing them on an easy pace to surpass their franchise record of 52 wins, which was achieved twice: in 2000-01 (the team's second Stanley Cup Championship run) and 2013-14. However, the Avalanche aren't even close to being done this season, and as a fan of this team for so long, my sole concern is this: What will this great season turn into come May and June?

This is the Avalanche's fifth straight playoff appearance, and I remember how this all started. Trading Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators back on November 5, 2017, and receiving Samuel Girard (from the Nashville Predators), Andrew Hammond (from Ottawa, he's now in New Jersey), and a 1st-round pick in the 2019 Draft (also from Ottawa), ended up being the thing that made the Avalanche a playoff team. The first week of April 2018 ended with the Avalanche actually making the playoffs, and I still remember the emotion I had when the team clinched that last spot. The Avalanche were defeated by a strong Predators team, but in spite of this, it seemed like it was the beginning of something great.

2018-19 saw the Avs back in as a Wild Card, and they would dominate a Calgary Flames team who entered as the Western Conference's top team. The series against the San Jose Sharks saw the Avs fall one win short of the Conference Finals, but still, it was an improvement. That's not all. That year, the Senators ended up with the worst record in the league, meaning that the Avalanche--who made the playoffs and nearly reached the Final Four--would be in the lottery. Colorado didn't win it, but got the #4 pick, which ended up being Bowen Byram.

The last two seasons were strong ones, and it reached a point that the Avalanche were in that "Cup Favorite" category. I myself felt that the "old Avs" were back. It's not Joe Sakic (who is currently the team's GM), Peter Forsberg, Alex Tanguay, and Milan Hejduk, and it's not Patrick Roy in net, but a lot of things were reminding me of the Avs from the first number of years in Denver. Acquiring big names such as Nazem Kadri and Devon Toews. Nabbing Darcy Kuemper to replace Philipp Grubauer. What the team's done in this year's deadline. The powerhouse Avalanche were back!

But there's one bugaboo that is haunting the team: getting past the Elite Eight. The last three seasons have ended with a second round exit; after the 2019 loss to San Jose, the Avalanche were defeated by the Dallas Stars in the 2020 bubble, and were ousted by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021. This is the Avalanche's best chance to win the Cup; there's no doubt there. In spite of injuries hitting the team, the Avs have made it to 50 wins and 100 points, and could end up with the Presidents' Trophy again. Even better, the team could get Kadri and captain Gabriel Landeskog back for the playoffs. But the Avalanche need to have a deep run here. I'll be honest, in addition to be elated, I was surprised that the Avalanche were still respected enough to be considered a favorite after three straight 2nd round exits. However, if the worst happens and the team doesn't reach the Final Four for the first time in 20 years, the respect may start to decrease.

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