Filling their own shoes: Can Colorado's top line replicate last season's success?

MacKinnon. Landeskog. Rantanen.

The Three-Headed Monster.

Coaches dream of having a group that talented, and Jared Bednar isn’t afraid to unleash the monster. Coaches on the opposite bench…well let’s just say they’re not so lucky.

Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters has felt the effects inherent to this dominant group. Despite having nearly a week to prepare, Peters and the Flames had no answer for Colorado’s top line in round one of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After putting up a combined 21 points in five playoff games and destroying the spirit of Johnny Gaudreau and the Flames, the top group ran it back on opening night this season. With two goals from Mikko Rantanen and a combined four points, the Flames still had no answer for the monster.

And they’re not alone. Every NHL team got a taste at least once last season. The result? A combined 261 points and All-Star honors for all three players on the line. The group’s been widely touted as one of the best trios in hockey.

Do you think they’re feeling the pressure?

During a season in which the Avs are poised to be Stanley Cup contenders, expectations are high yet again for this dominant top group. It remains to be seen whether they can live up to the standard they’ve set for themselves.

“It’s nice to have some pressure…we’re a contender,” said Nathan MacKinnon before the start of the season.“I think we all want pressure. It’s no fun coming in as an underdog. The best teams have pressure on them and it feels good.”

Avalanche GM Joe Sakic designed Colorado’s offseason to spur the top line’s evolution. Now we’re starting to see the transformation unfold.

For one, the Avalanche shipped Tyson Barrie, their top-producing defenseman and a key power-play piece, to Toronto in the hopes that Sam Girard and Cale Makar would step up in his absence.

Girard’s seven-year summer extension, worth $35 million in total, indicates Joe Sakic’s confidence in the Quebec native’s top-pairing potential over the coming years. Through only six games, Girard has been utilized as such, taking over much of Barrie’s usage. His 22:50 average ice time per game is a considerable uptick from last season’s average of 19:54 and makes him the second-most used skater in Bednar’s system.

Girard hasn’t provided a significant amount of offense when playing alongside the top line (zero points through six games), but his shut-down play has resulted in a substantial decrease in shots against the group.

Cale Makar, on the other hand, has taken care of the offense. The main question surrounding Makar this offseason was whether he could produce at the level Tyson Barrie had in recent years, both at even strength and on the power play. Makar answered that question immediately: YES and YES!

The 20-year-old rookie is defying all expectations, including my own, with six points in his first six games. Only one player in NHL history has begun his career with a longer point streak than Makar (Marek Zidlicky).

Four of those points have come with the man advantage, where Bednar immediately plugged and played Makar in Barrie’s old spot. The top unit hasn’t missed a beat; the Avs are tied for the sixth-most power-play goals in the league and boast a 24.0% conversion rate (eleventh).

The second part of Sakic’s offseason plan began with the additions of Andre Burakovsky and Joonas Donskoi, and ended with the main return from the Barrie trade: Nazem Kadri.

The former Toronto center was Colorado’s top acquisition of the summer and is responding well to his role at 2C, where he’s logged four total points through the first six games. Kadri also ranks eighth in the league in faceoff differential (which is just faceoff wins minus losses), somewhat remedying a weakness Sakic addressed in the offseason.

Burakovsky, Donskoi, and Kadri make up an imported second line to provide depth scoring and relieve pressure from the top line. The group has been very effective so far. All three players have netted two goals each, and account for over 18% of the team’s total points.

But despite its efficient secondary scoring, the second line has failed to reduce the per game ice time for MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen.

The explanation? Bednar’s gameplan hasn’t changed in his tenure as head coach. He plays those lines that are producing and buying into his system. We saw it last year when he rode MacKinnon and crew for over 20 minutes game in and game out.

This season is no different. On the back of some amazing play from Mikko Rantanen, the top line has again been off to a hot start this season. The second line, however, has been in transition for much of the first few games. Donskoi only recently solidified his second-line spot after Tyson Jost’s move to 3C, Burakovsky didn’t score a goal until his game-winner against Boston, and Kadri didn’t record a point until his fourth game as an Av.

Needless to say, the top line has been the most consistent group so far and per the status quo, Bednar hasn’t been afraid to use them. Amid all the changes to the Avalanche squad, the Three-Headed Monster is still menacing.

Nathan MacKinnon: Three goals, six assists, and 24 shots. Of MacK’s three goals, one was an empty netter and another was a tap-in from a Landeskog wrister that hit the post. His 24 shots lead the team and his nine points put him on pace for 123 points this season, but we still have yet to see the MacKinnon who dominates games. He’s shown flashes of speed and skill that we’re all too familiar with, but his ability to put the game on his back hasn’t been on display…yet. If this is him in cruise control, the league had better watch out when he puts the pedal to the metal.

Mikko Rantanen: Four goals and ten total points on just 18 shots. Did I mention he’s only played six games? Anyone who thought the Avs overpaid for Rantanen’s six-year extension has swallowed his or her tongue by now. Moose is on a jaw-dropping 136.7-point pace for the season, and he honestly could have potted a couple more goals already. Aside from a couple of defensive lapses (I realize I’m nit-picking), this guy has been an absolute stud so far.

Gabriel Landeskog: Two goals (including game-winners for the Avs and the Penguins) and four assists. The captain has grinded in both the offensive and defensive zones and has shown a refreshing amount of skill while maintaining chemistry with the other two monsters. He still has yet to score in his favorite way–a tip right in front of the net. His six points in six games put him on pace for a point-per-game season.

Obviously, through six games and five wins, the top line is going to have silly stats. All are on-pace to shatter their individual points records, and Mikko is on pace to set a record for points in the modern era of hockey. The point production will slow down, and the projections will seem more realistic further into the season.

But one thing is for sure. The pressure sure hasn’t gotten to these guys. They want to be the best line in hockey, and they want the Cup.