Ultra-Deep Colorado Avalanche Are Halfway There

Oh, we’ve gotta hold on, ready or not
You live for the fight when that’s all that you’ve got

Whoa, we’re half way there
Whoa oh, livin’ on a prayer
Take my hand and we’ll make it, I swear
Whoa oh, livin’ on a prayer

– John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. – singer and State Farm pitch man

Whoa. We’re halfway there. And though I was cursing more than praying last night, the Colorado Avalanche definitely answered someone’s prayers last night. After some serious Nuggets postseason-PTSD, I came within a hair’s breadth of just shutting my TV off when the Minnesota Wild scored 30-something seconds into the game. I admittedly picked up the remote again after Minny’s goal number two, and goal number three (rescinded), AND then another goal number three. But I set it back down every time. There’s something compelling enough about this Avs team to stick it out through every minute, even through the one tough loss they’ve experienced this playoff run. It’s hard to be fickle when your team is so talented that you know you could miss something special by stepping away.

And special it was. The late-arriving and still pitch-perfect comeback was one for the ages. One that superstar Nathan MacKinnon and head coach Jared Bednar both describe as their “favorite” from a lengthy list of highlights and accomplishments. While they’ve not accomplished their ultimate goal yet, Wednesday night’s heroics put them fully halfway there, and riding a wave of momentum into the Western Conference Finals with a little extra rest as well as a hard-earned reward.

Bednar put the accomplishment (and some still-unfinished hopes into crystal clear perspective in his postgame presser, with quotes like these:

“How would you rather have it? Every year that I’ve been here – after my second year – it’s like, Cup or bust. Well, we’ve won one Cup. It’s hard to win. Okay, that’s number one. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Every time you lose in the first round, second round, whatever it is, people are going to get on you because you didn’t win the Cup. But I’d still rather be fighting for that.”

“We could be leaving ourselves open to criticism later on in this year if things don’t go well. But it’s still the way you want it.”

For the full context of Bednar’s thoughts, check out Justin Michael’s killer column from Wednesday’s outcome. Bednar made his point. This is a tough mountain to climb, with lots of pitfalls and troubles still to be faced, and some luck needed to have it all work out in their favor. You can sense his excitement and intensity about the opportunity before them now that they’re halfway up the hill.

What’s gotten them here with such relative ease is their combination of depth, capability, and leadership. Beyond Bednar’s steady and thoughtful guidance, they have leaders on the squad like MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. Guys who do the tough and dirty work as an example for what they expect from the rest of the team, and are more than willing to raise their voices when things aren’t being done right. At the same time, they do not seek or hog the limelight. MacKinnon’s excitement and focus on Brett Kulak’s heroics in their combined postgame presser was a clinic on giving the limelight to a guy who rarely sees such a shine. In return, you could see Kulak’s warmth for the team’s unquestioned star, a guy he’s played less than 40 games with. The entire squad lines up behind Landy’s and Mack’s examples, which makes everyone more willing to give their all, share the credit, and share the load. They’ve even got two goalies sharing the stage. Remarkable.

As many talented skaters have shared the ice in an Avalanche sweater, this feels like one of the deepest squads the team has ever fielded. Having the types of defenders that can patch holes when you lose a defender or two (one of those being All-Timer Cale Makar) is not the sort of D that Avs fans have been accustomed to over the years. Sure, there were always the rock stars like Adam Foote, Ray Bourque, John-Michael Liles, or Rob Blake. But the depth at the position was often thin over the years, which has bitten Colorado in past postseasons. This year, they are winning with the depth that guys like Kulak brings, a defender Bednar describes as “elite”. They also have two goalies who have played some elite hockey, and combined to pitch a ton of shutouts all season long. They even seem to be supportive of either being the alpha at a moment’s notice. How rare is that?

(to read more about Bednar’s thoughts on Kulak, and a lot more check out Bailey Curtis’ wonderful wrap up from Wednesday’s game)

And as deep as the defense and goaltending is, the true embarrassment of riches for Colorado this year may be back in the center/forward group, where they have TOO MANY gifted centers to give each of them a line. This gives Colorado the capability to score no matter who is on the ice, as evidenced by two impressive fourth-line goals in Wednesday night’s closer against Minnesota.

Furthering the idea of that depth is the 17 goal scorers now listed for the Avs playoff scoring efforts thus far. 17 out of 23 non-goalies on the playoff roster. Put another way, over two thirds of the Avs have scored playoff goals now. That figure ties an NHL record, and they can still add onto it with (hopefully) two more series to play.

Bednar’s points postgame were the most salient ones. If something goes wrong between here and this era’s second Stanley Cup, the remarkable season and postseason this ultra-deep team has put together will no longer be remembered with such fondness. Which would be a shame in and of itself. Beyond wanting the title just for the sheer glory and joy of it all, you kind of want it for a team that Avs fans are wanting to remember forever with this kind of fondness. One who throws around words like “family”, no matter which player is being interviewed. If things keep going as they appear to be destined (and the Avs sure can’t overlook Las Vegas in doing so), the all-natural-disaster Avalanche/Hurricanes finale looks to be a slugfest. It would be a true shame to have this incredible adventure end before there are eight more notches in the Avs’ belts.

Whoa. We’re halfway there.