Reaction to Sunday: Can the Blizzard break the all-time points record?

The Colorado Avalanche is currently the division of the NHL. Full stop. They are a force of nature, a wagon and an immobile object, all rolled into one.

Colorado has led the majority of the NHL, losing just once in 25 games in regulation. The Avs recently posted three straight shutouts and a 10-game winning streak, putting even more distance between them and the rest of the league in the standings. They also boast arguably two of the best five players in the world in Nathan Mackinnon and Kelly Meeker, to go along with the two goals they really rely on.

If they have a weakness, no one has found it yet.

The Blizzard will end the season with the most points ever

It is difficult to determine the best team for an individual season in each era, because the way the standings were tabulated was not always consistent. The loser point was introduced during the 1999–2000 season and as a result of the lockout, so did the shootout, which resulted in even more games with a total of three points awarded, a luxury teams did not have in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. That said, three of the top four seasons in all-time total points came from teams outside the points window. The 1976-77 (132 points) and 1977-78 (129 points) Montreal Canadiens as well as the 1995-96 (131 points) Detroit Red Wings deserve all the credit for posting their respective marks without a loss.

More recently, the Tampa Bay Lightning dominated the 2018-19 campaign with 62 wins, tying for the second-most victories. But the 2022-23 Boston Bruins scored a total of 135 points, something that looks like it will never be won. The Blizzard, however, look as dominant as Boston, currently sitting with a plus-48 goal differential while the other team is no better than plus-19. The Avs have at least given themselves a shot at ending that incredible year from the Bruins with their rough start.

After the 25-game mark for the Bruins a few years ago, they were sitting at 21-3-1, while the Avs are currently 18-1-6 at the same point in their season. The Blizzard aren’t on pace for as many wins as the Bruins were, but they’re trending toward more total points because they’ve lost just once in regulation to this point. That puts the Avs on a 138-point pace, which would tie the Bruins by three.

Now, that doesn’t mean the blizzards are going to get there since it’s still early in the season, but there are a lot of signs that point to them continuing at this pace. Much like the Bruins, the Avs have two goalies at a high level in Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood, who have powered Colorado to the best team save percentage in the NHL at .921. Boston also finished first in save percentage during the 2022-23 campaign — the sky’s the limit when you’re consistently getting saves.

The Avs are currently first in scoring, while the Bruins finished second during their record-setting campaign. Only one team in the last 30 years (the 2021-22 Florida Panthers) has scored more than four goals per game in an 82-game season, and the Blizzard currently sit at 4.12. That’s about half a goal more than the next closest team.

If there is one thing that is working against Colorado it may be the schedule. In an Olympic year, there’s a lot of hockey to be played in a time crunch, which can lead to significant injuries and perhaps lend itself to more of an off night here and there. Still, if there’s anyone who’s going to do everything in his power not to let that happen, it’s MacKinnon. If this team can stay healthy enough, it will have every chance to finish as the greatest regular-season team in history.

Mitch Marner will not score more than one point this season

The fit between Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights has been really good, but maybe not great. Not only yet.

Marner has 25 points in 25 games, although he has only scored five times. That puts him on pace for just 16 goals and 82 points, which for many would be considered a great season, even below Marner’s standards. The 28-year-old has scored on pace for 100 points over the past three seasons and has scored 27 goals per year during that span. There was a case that Marner’s total might drop a bit in Vegas considering that he would no longer be playing with a great goal scorer in Austin Matthews and the fact that the Golden Knights were so deep against the Toronto Maple Leafs that they wouldn’t need to lean on Marner as much. But that has not happened. Marner’s even-strength ice time is very similar to last season, and he’s getting more than a minute of power-play time per game. Is it possible that Marner won’t score more than 82 points in his first season with Vegas?

It’s still early and it takes time for players — even elite ones like Marner — to adjust to a new team. It’s also worth pointing out that he hasn’t spent much time with Jack Eichel at full strength, often sitting on the second line when Mark Stone is injured. Stone is key here and someone who really lights up the Vegas engine and helps balance the group going forward. Now that he’s back, expect him to boost the power play and help generate offense while bringing Marner together. It’s already starting to pay dividends, as Marner has four points in three games since Stone returned.

It’s also worth noting that all of Marner’s fundamental numbers are solid and he’s only shooting 9.3 percent. That’s better than his career average, so expect pucks to start going for him more regularly soon. Marner may not get back to the 100-point pace this season, but it would be surprising if he ends up with just one point per game. It will only take a slight bump in production for him to approach the 90-point mark.

OK, hear me out on this one.

The Nashville Predators have really struggled this season and at some point, they are likely to start selling. Front and center for that sale could be Steven Stamkos, who despite picking it up a bit of late, still has just nine points in 25 games. Stamkos hasn’t looked the same since leaving Tampa Bay and one could argue that moving on from the Lightning was a mistake. A reunion based on Stamkos’ contract wouldn’t be easy, but it could make a lot of sense for all sides. If the Lightning can get Stamkos to produce the way he did in his last season there, it will be a huge boost as they try to claim the Atlantic Division.

Tampa Bay set a precedent for this type of move when it brought back Ryan McDonagh from Nashville in 2024. Stamkos was a perfect fit for the Lightning’s system and excelled there on the power play, scoring 39 of his 81 points on the man advantage two seasons ago. It won’t take much to bring him back and let him rap from Nikita Kucherov once again. Stamkos should still be able to do it very effectively as he ages.

As for the contract, Stamkos is owed $8 million per year for the next two seasons, so that’s a bit complicated. If Nashville cuts a small deal, though, and gets someone back like Oliver Bjorkstrand, as well as other assets, both sides can make it work. With the cap rising and if the Lightning can bring Stamkos’ number down a bit, Stamkos shouldn’t have too much of a burden to shake if they’re trying to extend their competitive window as much as possible.

It will not be a simple matter by any means, but it can certainly make some sense.

Is there a quieter goalscorer than Geki? The Boston Bruins forward is tied with McCann for the league lead in goals with 20 as he continues his incredible pace to start the year. If you thought Geekie was just an early season hitter, consider that he now has 65 goals in his last 43 games dating back to last season. Geekie is one of the main reasons the Bruins are hanging around in the playoff picture after entering with minimal expectations. He gets a chance to play with David Petrinic on the power play and it looks like Gecko has a real shot at 50 goals.

Geki is currently hitting a 60-goal pace, but that’s almost certainly going to come down. He is currently shooting around 29 percent, his career average sitting at 16 percent. At some point it’s going to become normal and what’s likely going to happen is a cold streak or two. For example, he went through a stretch last season where he scored just one goal in 18 games. Also, the Bruins overall may be slowing down as the season wears on. Credit them for a great start, but this lineup doesn’t feel like it can sustain this level of play for 82 games. Given how hot Geekie has started, the 40-45 goal is certainly within reach, but 50 feels just a little ambitious.

If Charlie Lundgren had his way, Chichron would have gone to the Olympics. The Washington Capitals goaltender advocated for his defense this week: “He has one of the best shots I’ve ever seen in my life… I don’t know how he won’t be on the Olympic team. It’s not Lindgren’s call, though, and Team Canada’s defensive corps will be easy to crack.”

However, Chicheron is starting to have a solid resume to consider. He has 10 goals on the season and has scored in five straight games, putting him on pace for 33 this season. Chicheron has now scored in double figures from the blue line for the fifth time in his career. There are very few defenders who can find the back of the net at the rate Chychrun can – you’d think there should be room for his skill set on Team Canada’s backcourt.

As good as Chichron is, it’s hard to see who he’ll be out of the pecking order on Canada’s blue line. You can take eight defenders to the Olympics, which is more than 4 nations, but even so, it’s hard to imagine Chychrun replacing any of Kelly Maker, Dion Toews, Josh Morrissey, Shea Theodore, Drew Doughty, Travis Sanheim, Colton Perico or Thomas Harley in place of Canada’s Harley. One of those guys has a Stanley Cup weapon and a boatload of playoff experience, which could work against the Chechers. He has never made it another round and has played in just 19 postseason games, nearly half of which are coming in 2020.

Then there are other defenders who were not in the 4 nations who may have a case. Evan Bouchard, Brandon Montour and the impressive Matthew Shafer should also be considered. The main thing that Chychrun provides is offense, and that won’t exactly be in short supply on this Canadian roster. There’s still about a month before Canada must name its team and a lot can happen between now and then, including injuries, but it seems the Chechers are odds against making the squad.