Avalanche driven by playoff disappointment against Stars, says Sakic

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche are on a mission.

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (24) and points (49). Makar leads NHL defensemen in assists (26) and points (35).

The Avalanche are 21-2-6. They lead the League in points (48), points percentage (.828), goals per game (3.97) and goals against per game (2.17) as they visit the Nashville Predators on national television Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, ALT, SNP).

Colorado president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said it goes back to last season.

“The way we lost last year was so disappointing, and the guys came back really driven to …” Sakic said at the NHL Board of Governors meeting Monday, his voice trailing off. “I won’t say make amends, but [they were] really irritated the way we lost.”

The Avalanche made major changes to their roster over the course of the 2024-25 season, most notably trading forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 24.

They looked deeper, and they looked even better in the Western Conference First Round when captain Gabriel Landeskog returned from a knee injury, appearing for the first time since he hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2022.

But they blew a 2-0 lead in the third period of Game 7 and lost 4-2 to the Dallas Stars after Rantanen, whom the Stars acquired from the Hurricanes on March 7, exploded for three goals and an assist.

“We all thought we played really well, and Dallas is a great team,” Sakic said. “[The Stars] capitalized when they needed to capitalize, and we didn’t, and that was the difference in the series. But you could tell there was a little extra coming into training camp, that these guys felt that there’s a lot to prove.”

MacKinnon and Makar could reach new heights this season, and so could Colorado.

MacKinnon is on pace for 68 goals, which would be an NHL career high, and 138 points, which would be two short of the high of 140 he had in 2023-24, when he won the Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player. The center has never won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL goals leader or the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s scoring champion.

Makar is on pace for 73 assists and 99 points, which would be NHL career highs for a player who has won the Norris Trophy as the League’s best defenseman twice.

The Avalanche are on pace for 136 points, which would break the NHL record of 135 the Boston Bruins set in 2022-23. Only the 1929-30 Bruins (.875) and the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens (.830) have had a higher points percentage in a season than the Avalanche do so far this season.

MacKinnon sets the tone.

“There’s no ‘relax’ in him,” Sakic said. “It’s just, he wants to get better every single day. Still. Even though in my mind he’s the best there is right now, he’s not satisfied.

“It’s not even about points for him. I think at the end of the day, when his career is over, he’ll appreciate what he accomplished. But in the meantime, he doesn’t care about that. It’s about getting ready for the next game, being the best he can be for that game, and that’s what drives him. He’s a driven, driven player.”

The Avalanche brought back most of the same cast that finished last season, so the newcomers were able to gel from the beginning this time. Landeskog has been back from the beginning as well. He has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 29 games.

“He’s just getting better and better week by week as well, getting more comfortable with the ice time and fitting in,” Sakic said. “His leadership, on ice, off ice, it’s great to have him. Your whole team is complete now that your captain’s here.”

Perhaps the most encouraging signs have been the defense and goaltending. Scott Wedgewood is 13-1-3 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .920 save percentage, and Mackenzie Blackwood is 8-1-1 with a 2.21 GAA and .920 save percentage.

“The guys are really playing hard at both ends of the ice, and the nights that we’re off, because you’re going to be off some nights, our goaltending’s won us games,” Sakic said. “Wedgewood and Blackwood have been really, really good. … It’s been a complete, complete group effort.”

Are the Avalanche destined for a rematch with the Stars in the playoffs? The Stars are three points behind, second not just in the Central Division, but in the League standings.

If so, the Avalanche want Game 7 to be in Denver this time, not Dallas.

“We know at the end of the year we’re going to be judged on the playoffs,” Sakic said. “But going into the playoffs, you want to be playing your best hockey, and we’re at the stage where you’re playing in the regular season for home-ice advantage. I mean, as well as we’re doing, Dallas is right behind us. They’re having a great year too. There’s a lot of really good teams. It’s going to be a great race.”