After a poor start, followed by maddening inconsistent play, the Avalanche is one game past the halfway mark of the NHL season and the playoffs aren’t a pipe dream. Confidence is high, individually and collectively.
“Right now we’re a team that plays with a lot of confidence,” Avs coach Patrick Roy said.
Colorado (18-16-8) is climbing while others are falling. The Avs, who are on a three-game winning streak and are 8-3 in their last 11 games, are just four points out of a wild-card playoff spot entering a five-game road trip that begins Monday at Washington.
“Without trying to stare at the standings, we are breaking it down into a few games at a time and trying to focus on a set goal that we have for the end of the season, or for the last (40) games,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said. “We’re taking it a few games at a time and trying to make the most of it. We are on a bit of a roll here, and we want to just keep this thing going and keep winning.”
The Avs recently leapfrogged Minnesota (2-5-3 in its last 10 games) and Dallas (four-game losing streak) to go from last to fifth in the Central Division. A second consecutive division title is unlikely — Colorado is 11 points behind third-place St. Louis and 16 in back of leader Nashville — but the Avs are among five wild-card teams within five points of one another.
Lately, Colorado has received good to great goaltending from Semyon Varlamov and timely scoring from its forwards. The defense continues to allow too many shots, but the blocking of shots in front of Varlamov has been stellar.
“Our top guys have been playing good hockey,” Roy said.
The fact the top guys are playing with confidence is the key to any team’s success, and finally, Colorado is getting consistent production from virtually all of its highest-paid players. Defenseman Erik Johnson is a deserving all-star, blue-liner Brad Stuart is coming off his best stretch and young forwards Ryan O’Reilly, Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Landeskog — who each surpassed 20 goals last season — are starting to produce regularly.
Even Duchene, whose was his first tally in 13 games, senses the offensive rise.
“We haven’t had too many guys get hot or really producing this year offensively all at the same time. It’s been one guy here, one guy there,” Duchene said. “It’s starting to come now, and it’s fun to see. It’s exciting.”
Colorado concludes a consecutive-night set Tuesday at Carolina before visiting Florida on Thursday, Tampa Bay on Saturday and St. Louis next Monday.
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikechambers
COLORADO AT WASHINGTON
5 p.m. Monday, ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Braden Holtby: The Capitals goalie stopped 26- of-27 shots to earn his 20th victory of the season Saturday at Detroit, and he is 12-1-4 since Dec. 4, tying Nashville’s Rekka Rinne for the most wins during that stretch. From Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Holtby has appeared in a franchise-record 24 consecutive games. Holtby and the Capitals beat the Avalanche 3-2 on Nov. 20 in Denver.
NOTEBOOK
Avalanche: The Avs didn’t practice Sunday before traveling to Washington. … Rookie goalie Calvin Pickard was scheduled to travel from Cleveland, join Colorado in D.C. and serve as Semyon Varlamov’s backup against the Caps. Pickard, who had been playing for the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters, is pegged to start Tuesday at Carolina. … The Avs have a three-game win streak, matching their longest of the season, and are 9-3-2 in their past 14.
Capitals: They have 12 victories in their past 17 games and have the NHL’s best winning percentage since Dec. 4. … Washington is 12-6-4 at the Verizon Center, including a 7-1-2 showing in its past 10. … Alex Ovechkin was named the Caps’ only all-star Saturday. … Matt Niskanen, who was the top free-agent defenseman available last summer and declined the Avs’ interest, has just two goals and 13 points while playing all 41 games.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
