Since the NHL restructured its divisions in the 2013-14 NHL season, the Central Division has consistently been one of its toughest. Even though the last two Stanley Cups have gone to Pittsburgh, the last season’s Finals was against the Central’s Nashville Predators. Prior to Pittsburgh’s run, the 2014-15 Cup went to the Chicago Blackhawks, a perennial playoff team from the Central.
The Colorado Avalanche were lucky enough to find themselves in the Central after the restructure, but have had a rough go of it since — they’ve reached the playoffs only once.
As it currently stands, the Central Division appears to be the league’s strongest once again this season. From the top of the division to the bottom, almost every team has a winning record against every other division other than their own. The Colorado Avalanche have a 2-4 record in the Central, but have a winning record in every other division other than the West where they sit 3-5. In addition to their solid record against non-division teams, the Avs’ 21 total points would place them in the middle of the pack in other divisions — not tied for last place, where they currently find themselves.
All of that means that, in the end, the Avalanche need to figure out how to generate wins and steal points out of their own division. They’re well on their way to surpassing their abysmal 49 total points from last season, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. The magic number to make it into the playoffs in the Central looks to be around 95 points. The Avalanche are on pace to put up between 75-80 points, which would be a major improvement — so if they can generate some mid-season magic and steal some points within their division, there’s a possibility (slight, but still) that the organization could find themselves in a playoff chase, which would be an extraordinary turnaround, indeed.
