Members of the Colorado Avalanche can officially start making offseason plans. However, given that they won just their 18th game of the season on Tuesday night, there’s a good chance those plans were already taking shape before they became the first team in the NHL this year with an “e” beside their name in the standings. Defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 at Pepsi Center was a small consolation prize.
No other team in hockey has their playoff fate yet determined, as even league-leading Washington hasn’t formally punched their ticket to the chase for Lord Stanley’s Cup. But with a league-worst 39 points, Colorado’s fate is the first to be decided this season.
Gabriel Landeskog and Tyson Barrie scored less than a minute apart in the second period of Tuesday’s win. That number equaled the number of goals as Colorado had scored in its previous four games combined. Nathan MacKinnon scored the empty-net capper with under a minute remaining to secure Colorado’s ninth home win on the season. Calvin Pickard made 25 saves to earn the victory. Colorado’s three goals in the game marked only the second time in the last month they tallied three or more scores.
Colorado continues its homestand on Thursday, hosting New Jersey, and closes it out against Ottawa on Saturday.