The Colorado Avalanche have been all smiles as of late. Laughter, cheering and playful contact while on the ice, jokes and teasing while off, the Avalanche are having fun and enjoying each other’s company. Of course, this is mainly due to the fact that they have placed themselves on the doorstep of a playoff spot having won eight out of ten games in the month of December. Colorado’s slow start is now behind them and through strong play and complete games, the Avalanche are one of the NHL’s hottest teams. Colorado’s play in the third period has been one of the biggest factors in their ability to form the complete games they have needed.

At the beginning of the season, while Colorado was struggling to win games, head coach Patrick Roy repeatedly stressed the importance of the complete game effort. Colorado’s inability to protect leads late in the game was losing them important games that were within their grasp, leaving Roy frustrated and disappointed. The appropriate adjustments were made and the third period play has quickly become one of the strong points for the team. So much so that Roy has been confident in the team’s mentality and hasn’t had to pressure them, reminding them to finish the game strong.

“I didn’t have much to say; we made a couple of adjustments on their play,” Roy said following the 2-1 win against the New York Islanders this past Thursday. “The mindset is very good right now, I thought we went in to the third determined to have a good, solid third period. I didn’t feel that we were nervous, I thought the mindset was very good.”

Helping the Avalanche in their third period success has been the production of Matt Duchene. Of course, his recent play and point production have been a big reason the Avs are winning, but his third period statistics rank among the best in the league. Duchene is tied for the fourth-most third-period goals in the NHL this season. So much of Colorado’s success has seemed to depend on the performance of Duchene this season, and he has answered the call ever since being moved to the wing on the “Nine line.”

The Avalanche are currently on a five-game winning streak, which is the team’s longest since April 2014 when they won six in a row. In those five wins, the Avalanche have outscored their opponent 6-3 in the third period.

“I think it’s just a mindset,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “We want to make sure that we grow as a team. At the start of the season we weren’t good enough in the third period, we were losing a lot of games because of our third periods.”

“We want to make sure we close teams out at the same time we stay on the gas and play offense and make sure we get pucks in and all those things, making sure the other team really has to work to get scoring chances.”

Right now the Avalanche have a lot of confidence, which seems to be helping them finish games. The mental aspect of the game is extremely important and appears to be all they lacked in putting together complete games. The Avalanche frequently make reference to the mindset and mental side of the game, a sign of how important it is to their game. The necessary skill has been present all season, and the appropriate strategy as well; it is the mindset to execute and confidence that has been a point of emphasis.

The Colorado Avalanche look to continue their success Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, their last game before the Christmas break. The Avalanche will get back to work on Sunday when they host the Arizona Coyotes at Pepsi Center. The Avalanche look to continue depending on the NHL’s hottest goaltender, Semyon Varlamov who was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. The rest of the lineup will remain the same as well.