Undefeated teams debated by NHL.com writers

History has already been made in the NHL this season by the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights. 

The defending Stanley Cup champions are 7-0-0, while the Bruins and Avalanche are 6-0-0, marking the first time in NHL history three teams have a season-opening winning streak of at least six games.

Two of those streaks are on the line Thursday, with the Bruins hosting the Anaheim Ducks (2-4-0) at TD Garden (7 p.m. ET; BSSD, BSSC, NESN, SNP, SNO, SNE). 

The Avalanche have won an NHL record 15 straight road games dating back to March 13 and visit the Pittsburgh Penguins (2-4-0) at PPG Paints Arena (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT; ALT, TVAS-D).

The Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks (2-5-0) and Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick from the 2023 NHL Draft, at T-Mobile Arena on Friday (6 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NHLN, NBCSCH, TVAS2).

Which of these three titans will be the last team to lose this season? We asked six NHL.com staff writers and received support for each of the three.

Boston Bruins

Having watched the Bruins set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) last season only to see their Stanley Cup dreams fall to pieces against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference First Round, I think they have come back with a renewed focus on not just winning games, but becoming a team that can take that next step. It's happened before. Witness the 2019-20 Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the Cup coming off a 62-win regular season that ended in a first-round defeat. Witness the 1996-97 Detroit Red Wings, who also won the Cup after a 62-win regular season ended in the Western Conference Final. Now, I'm not saying these Bruins are going to win the Cup, but I think adding the stellar defense and goaltending to the mindset they've developed since last season is one reason why they will be the last undefeated team left standing. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

The Bruins will be the last undefeated team, and goaltending is why. Boston has the best No. 1-1A, tandem -- Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman -- among the three unbeatens. They've split starts and given up seven goals en route to the Bruins tying their record for best start with the 1937-38 team. Ullmark, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner voted as the top goalie in the NHL, is 3-0-0 with 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage. Swayman is 3-0-0 with a 1.34 GAA, .957 save percentage and one shutout. Boston's 3-0 win at Chicago on Tuesday was Swayman's 10th NHL shutout, third-most by a Bruins goalie before age 25 behind Frank Brimsek (16) and Tuukka Rask (11). -- William Douglas, staff writer

Colorado Avalanche

Production is why the Avalanche will be the last of the undefeated teams. They're averaging 4.50 goals per game, tied for second with the Los Angeles Kings and behind the first-place Detroit Red Wings (4.86). So many scoring options including Mikko Rantanen, who leads them with 12 points (five goals, seven assists), defenseman Cale Makar, next with nine (three goals, six assists) and center Nathan MacKinnon, third with seven (four goals, three assists). You've got some surprises in there, too. Ryan Johansen has scored four goals in six games after having 12 in 55 games for the Nashville Predators last season. Logan O'Connor has three short-handed goals. Sure, this is all bound to slow down at some point, but the Avalanche will roll off another couple of wins before that first loss. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Earlier this year, during a chat with Avalanche president Joe Sakic several weeks after they were upset by the Seattle Kraken in the first round, he suggested Colorado needed to have more teeth in its game en route to being a tougher team to play. Enter Johansen, Miles Wood and Ross Colton. These guys are grinders and can cause chaos along the walls. Johansen is 6-foot-3, Wood is 6-2 and Colton 6-0. Though none should be billed as the next Tom Wilson in terms of prototypical power forwards, they are helping to limit space for the opposition. As Tracey noted, offense is this team's strength. But defensively suffocating the other team is also working; they've allowed 12 goals in six games. To that end, kudos, too, to goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who's 6-0-0 with a 1.98 GAA, .930 save percentage and one shutout. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Vegas Golden Knights

The defending Stanley Cup champions are undefeated through seven games. The other two teams are undefeated through six games. We're judging this by date and time, and Colorado and Boston each play Thursday while Vegas doesn't play again until Friday. That right there gives Vegas a head start. This could be over without the Golden Knights needing to win again.

But let's say the Avalanche win at the Penguins, the Bruins win at home against the Ducks, and everyone is 7-0-0. The Golden Knights will have to win at home against the Blackhawks on Friday, but then they visit the Los Angeles Kings at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, after the Bruins play at home against the Red Wings at 7 p.m. ET. The Avalanche do get to wait until Sunday to play at the Buffalo Sabres. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

In addition to the points Nick made about the schedule potentially working in the Golden Knights' favor, their balanced lineup gives them the best chance of continuing their season-opening winning streak. They've had 16 different players score at least one goal and six score a game-winning goal. Boston has had only seven players score goals, with five of them game-winners. Colorado has had 12 players score goals with the game-winners limited to three. With the Golden Knights, if defenses focus on one or two lines or certain players, they have the depth to overcome that. It's the same formula that helped them win the Stanley Cup last season. In fact, including the last two games of the Final against the Florida Panthers, they've won nine in a row. They want to keep this roll going as long as they can. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer