Colorado Avalanche dominate with Nathan MacKinnon’s electrifying start—could the Hart Trophy be a lock and a second Cup run in sight? Nick Zararis and Hunter Hodies break down the Avalanche’s historic five-on-five numbers, leadership mentality, and the impact of roster upgrades including Brock Nelson and Martin Necas. They examine MacKinnon’s unmatched speed, the return of Gabriel Landeskog, and why Colorado’s process keeps them atop the Western Conference even as metrics normalize.
The conversation shifts to the Edmonton Oilers’ struggles as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s once-reliable pairing fails to spark the offense. Can the Oilers’ shallow depth and poor goaltending be fixed, or is a playoff push unlikely this season? Nick Zararis and Hunter Hodies also spotlight which bubble teams—like the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets—have the best shot to rebound and claim playoff spots. Is the league’s middle tier poised for a shakeup before the deadline?
03:39 “Western Conference Juggernaut”
06:28 MacKinnon: Relentless Game-Changer
09:38 Colorado’s Dominant Playoff Outlook
14:43 “Penguins’ Mid-2010s Depth Struggles”
16:15 Forward Depth and Matchup Challenges
19:58 “Struggles Despite Playoff Potential”
23:20 “Predicting NHL Playoff Turnarounds”
28:28 “Chaotic NHL Wild Card Race”
31:22 “Locked On NHL Recap”
UNSTOPPABLE: Colorado Avalanche off to historic start | What’s wrong with the Oilers?
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1 Comment
As an Avs fan living in Edmonton, I end up watching way more Oilers games in person than Avalanche games, and I’ve never understood this “stack the first line” strategy. Nuge and Draisaitl are good enough to run their own lines and actually spread out the playmaking. Load up McDavid and Leon only on an icing, a mismatch, or in the final minute of a period.
Instead, other teams know the game plan: pressure Skinner early, get a lead, and force Knoblauch to throw McDavid and Draisaitl over the boards shift after shift. If you can defend that one super-line, the Oilers’ other lines basically have nothing to offer offensively.