As the No. 1 team in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche have a target on their backs. And they know it. How the team manages the challenge is what makes it highly competitive and difficult to beat.

“It’s a measuring stick. Teams want to try to see where they compare. They want to be the ones to knock us off and stop the streak, or whatever it is. You definitely know that teams are going to play,” Parker Kelly said. “Sometimes you’re coming into a game and you’re not feeling your best, or you don’t have your legs. And your first shift, you get hemmed in. You’re like, ‘here we go,’ wakes you up a little bit, gets you into the game.”

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The increased energy opponents bring against the Avalanche is clear. Colorado uses it to match the intensity and builds upon it.

“You have to keep working and stay focused to be your best. I’d rather our team play hungry teams that are really challenging you every night. It’s how you get better, and that’s what we’re seeing …,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “I like the fact that we have to work for everything that we’re getting, and guys keep stepping up to the plate and getting the job done.”

The work the Avs have put in has paid off to lead the League with 55 points (six ahead of the next closest, the Dallas Stars). It has not been an easy road to the top, but that has made them a more determined team.

“What it does is it pushes you, and it brings out your best, for sure,” Josh Manson said. “That’s what it’s going to take: you need adversity. You need teams playing hard against you, making it feel like playoff hockey. That’s when teams are fortified, and they start to create that belief that when things get hard, still find ways to win games.”

The Avalanche have not only embraced the exceptional challenges their opponents have presented, but they have also used them to their advantage. It has helped them keep a strong level of competitiveness, which is preparing them for the postseason.

“It’s good to play this style of hockey for 82 games. You’re going to get everyone’s absolute best …,” Kelly said. “It’s good lessons to learn a little bit of going through adversity in a game, that’s all going to happen in the playoffs. It’s not going to be up two, three, nothing going into the third every time in the playoffs. There’s going to be games where it’s tight and it’s really fun to play these teams right now.”

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The Avs understand their position, knowing they would do the same as their opponents if the roles were reversed. They learn from each matchup to make adjustments and improve for the next one.

“It’s every game is a good challenge. They always come up with their best. Just take game by game, prepare for the next. We have a good practice today and it’s going to be a great game tomorrow,” Necas said.

Colorado has not trailed in many games this season. The team has effectively managed frustration while maintaining balance to find ways to win tougher battles.

“It’s just mentality, really. It’s the message you send your team. It’s the leadership within your team, and the message you’re sending to one another — body language, staying positive, and most of it, is cured by just belief, belief that you can win if you’re down,” Bednar said.

The Avs have and will continue to use the challenges they face against highly-charged teams to prepare them for a deep run in the postseason.