Avalanche clinch playoff berth thanks to Makar, potent offense

The Colorado Avalanche became the second team to clinch a berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs when they won 6-4 at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

The Avalanche (50-14-6, 106 points) have used the brilliance of their core players and contributions from depth players to become the first team this season to win 50 games. This is the third 50-win season in Colorado/Quebec Nordiques history and in 70 games, the third-fastest any NHL team has reached 50 wins in the past 25 seasons, behind the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning (66 games) and the 2015-16 Washington Capitals (69).
The Avalanche set their record for most points in 2000-01 season when they went 52-16-4 with 10 ties for 118 points. That team won the Stanley Cup, defeating the New Jersey Devils in seven games in the Cup Final.
Colorado has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2002 and has lost in the second round each of the past three seasons.
Cale Makar, a likely finalist for the Norris Trophy voted as the top defenseman in the NHL, has scored 75 points (24 goals, 51 assists) in 66 games. The 23-year-old leads the Avalanche in average time on ice per game (25:39), five seconds ahead of defenseman Devon Toews (25:34). Makar is third in points for Colorado behind forward Mikko Rantanen (84 points; 35 goals, 49 assists in 67 games) and center Nazem Kadri (83 points; 26 goals, 57 assists in 65 games).
The Avalanche have five players averaging more than a point per game, the highest number of such players on any team in the NHL. Center Nathan MacKinnon, who has scored 74 points (24 goals, 50 assists) in 54 games, leads the way at 1.37. Kadri is next (1.28), followed by Rantanen (1.25). Forward Gabriel Landeskog, who has scored 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 51 games, is at 1.16. Makar is at 1.14.
Landeskog, who had knee surgery March 16, has missed 11 games but is expected to be healthy for the postseason.

Prior to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, Colorado added some depth when it acquired rugged defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks, two-way forward Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens, penalty-killing center Andrew Cogliano from the San Jose Sharks and center Nico Sturm from the Minnesota Wild.
Here's a look at the Avalanche's path to a playoff berth:
Most Valuable Player: Makar is having a historically productive season, on pace for 93 points. The most recent defensemen in the NHL to score at least 93 points in a season were Brian Leetch (102) in 1991-92 and Phil Housley (97) in 1992-93. Steve Duchene holds the Avalanche/Nordiques record for points at the postion with 82 for Quebec Nordiques in 1992-93.
Unsung Hero: Rookie center Alex Newhook is playing 13:45 per game and has scored 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 60 games.
Memorable Moment: It was nine seconds of unadulterated brilliance from Makar in overtime at the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 4, a play that will be a candidate for Goal of the Year. The defenseman took a drop pass from MacKinnon along the side wall, circled behind the net to the opposite wall, put on the brakes to lose his defender, forward Kirby Dach, and then drove the net aggressively before raising a backhander past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and under the crossbar at 2:38 for a 4-3 victory.

Key Number: 265. Colorado has scored 265 goals in 70 games this season, most in the Western Conference. The Florida Panthers have scored 291 goals, most in the NHL.
Question Mark: Goaltending experience. Darcy Kuemper is having a career season in the NHL with a personal-best 33 victories (33-9-3) and a .925 save percentage, the second best of his 10-season NHL career. But he has made 18 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (14 starts) with a 2.86 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Backup Pavel Francouz has played six NHL postseason games, going 2-4-0 with a 3.23 GAA and .892 save percentage in 2020.
Reason Avalanche Can Win It All: Colorado has been the most dominant team in the regular season, leading the standings virtually from the get-go. After opening the season with three losses in their first four games, the Avalanche have not lost more than two games in a row since. They have had seven winning streaks of at least four games, which underscores just how dominant and consistent they can be.