Avalanche couldn't overcome injuries in second-round loss to Stars

The Colorado Avalanche were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Dallas Stars, losing 5-4 in overtime in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round on Friday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, the Western hub city.

The Avalanche, who finished the regular season with a .657 points percentage (42-20-8), were the No. 2 seed in the West after finishing second in the round-robin portion of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. They defeated the Arizona Coyotes in five games in the first round.
Here is a look at what happened during the 2020 postseason for the Avalanche and why things could be even better next season:

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Michael Hutchinson, G; Mark Barberio, D; Kevin Connauton, D; Vladislav Namestnikov, F; Matt Nieto, F; Colin Wilson, F
Potential restricted free agents: Ryan Graves, D; Nikita Zadorov, D; Andre Burakovsky, F; Tyson Jost, F;
Vladislav Kamenev
, F; Valeri Nichushkin, F
Potential 2020 NHL Draft Picks: 6

What went wrong

Injuries all around: Prior to being injured in Game 1 against the Stars, goalie Philipp Grubauer was 5-0-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in seven postseason games. Pavel Francouz, who replaced him, went 1-3, allowing 15 goals in the series but was injured in Game 4, forcing Colorado to turn to third-string goalie Michael Hutchinson. Defenseman Erik Johnson did not play after he was injured in Game 1; forward Joonas Donskoi missed the final five games; forward Gabriel Landeskog missed Game 7; and forward Matt Calvert did not play in the series.
Special teams woes: Colorado was 75.0 percent on the penalty kill (36-for-48) in the postseason and even worse against the Stars, going 60.9 percent (14-for-23). They allowed two power-play goals in Game 2 (5-2 loss), three in Game 4 (5-4 loss), two in Game 5 (6-3 win), and two in Game 7. The Avalanche were 22.1 percent on the power-play (15-for-68) in the postseason, but 12.5 percent against the Stars (4-for-32).
Lack of depth scoring: The top two lines, mainly consisting of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri and Valeri Nichushkin, combined for 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists) in the series; the rest of Colorado's eight forwards who played combined for eight points (three goals, five assists).

Reasons for optimism

MacKinnon has Hart: After finishing fifth in the NHL during the regular season with 93 points (35 goals, 58 assists) in 69 games, MacKinnon led the playoffs in scoring with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 15 games when Colorado was eliminated. The Hart Trophy finalist as League MVP ranks third in the NHL in points over the past three seasons with 289 (115 goals, 174 assists) behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (321) and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning (313) and is signed for four more seasons.
Makar, Byram on defense: Cale Makar had a breakout rookie season with 50 points (12 goals, 38 assists) in 57 games and 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 15 playoff games. The defenseman and Calder Trophy finalist as rookie of the year likely will be joined by Bowen Byram on the backend in the NHL next season. Byram, the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, did not play in the League this season but was with the Avalanche in Edmonton in the playoff bubble after the 19-year-old scored 40 goals and 123 points in 117 games with Vancouver of the Western Hockey League the past two seasons.
Roster stability: With a likely similar roster, the Avalanche should have a good chance to advance to at least the second round of the playoffs for the third straight season. They have six potential UFAs, three of which are regulars when healthy (Namestnikov, Nieto, Wilson), and six RFAs under team control (Burakovsky, Graves, Jost, Kamenev, Nichushkin, Zadorov).