Are the Avalanche Just Coasting? With a Division Lead and Olympic Dreams, Colorado Faces a New Kind of Challenge
The Colorado Avalanche dropped another shootout last night, but the real story wasn’t the final score - it was the energy, or lack thereof. From puck drop to final horn, it felt like the Avs were skating through the motions.
Credit to Ducks netminder Lukas Dostal, who was sharp all night and nearly walked away with a shutout, if not for a late-game laser from Artturi Lehkonen. Still, the game felt more like a sleepy Tuesday night scrimmage than a midseason NHL tilt with playoff implications.
And honestly? That might be the point.
A Team in Cruise Control
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about effort or desire - it’s about human nature. When you’ve got a 10-point cushion atop your division, 77 points through 48 games, and a roster loaded with Olympic-bound talent, it’s easy to see why the urgency might dip a little.
Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon aren’t just elite NHL players - they’re also gearing up for a run on the international stage in Milan. And that’s no small thing.
Add in the fact that this Avalanche squad has already proven it can dominate the regular season, and you start to understand the vibe. This is a team built for spring.
A team that knows the real test comes after Game 82. It’s a Cup-or-bust year, plain and simple.
And with MacKinnon and Makar in their primes, the focus is squarely on the big picture.
The next 34 games? They’re important, sure.
But they’re also a grind. And that’s where the challenge lies.
Dallas Fading, Stakes Lowering
Earlier in the season, the Stars were right there with Colorado, keeping the Central Division race tight and giving the Avs a reason to push. But lately?
Not so much. Dallas has stumbled to a 3-5-2 record over their last 10, including a three-game skid.
Colorado hasn’t exactly been lights-out either - they’re 5-3-2 in that same stretch - but here’s the thing: it hasn’t mattered.
Even with injuries, a rare home regulation loss, and back-to-back defeats, the Avalanche haven’t lost any real ground. The division lead remains firm.
The pressure to chase points has all but evaporated. And that’s both a blessing and a potential pitfall.
Because if Dallas continues to slide and somehow ends up as a wildcard team, Colorado could end up facing them in the first round. That’s not exactly ideal - especially considering the Stars’ physical style and playoff pedigree. So yeah, the Avs might want to root for Dallas to get it together, just enough to stay out of that 1 vs. 8 matchup.
Habits Matter - Even When the Stakes Don’t
This isn’t about panic. It’s about preparation.
As any veteran team knows, you don’t just flip a switch when the postseason starts. The habits you build in January and February are the ones that show up in April and May.
And that’s the tightrope Colorado is walking right now.
We saw a glimpse of the right mindset earlier this week when MacKinnon brought some fire in a bounce-back win over Washington. That’s the kind of edge they’ll need to manufacture over the second half of the season.
Because when the games feel like they don’t matter, it’s easy to let the details slip. And once those cracks start to show, they’re tough to patch up in the playoffs.
The good news? Head coach Jared Bednar seems to understand the long game.
He’s not afraid to rest his stars or manage minutes when opponents shorten their benches. He’s playing the marathon, not the sprint.
And with a veteran core and a locker room that knows what it takes to win, the Avalanche are still in good hands.
But let’s not pretend this is automatic. We’ve seen dominant regular-season teams falter when it matters most - just ask the 2018-19 Lightning or the 2022-23 Bruins. The Avalanche don’t want to join that list.
The Road Ahead
With the Olympic break looming and the postseason on the horizon, Colorado’s biggest opponent right now might be complacency. The talent is there.
The structure is there. The experience is there.
But the challenge now is internal - staying sharp, staying focused, and keeping the habits elite when the standings say you don’t have to.
Because when the lights get bright and the games start to matter again, there won’t be time to wake up. The Avalanche will need to be ready - and that preparation starts now.