from Adam Proteau of The Hockey News,

Before this NHL season began, hockey analysts and executives picked the Colorado Avalanche to go far in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Six months later, the Avs are the league’s top team, with a superb 52-14-6 record and 110 standings points. Right now, they’re in the midst of a six-game win streak – and if that doesn’t impress you, consider that this is their second six-game win streak of the season, and it’s not even their best run, as they peeled off 10 wins in a row starting in mid-January.

Now consider that Colorado has lost more than two games in a row just once this year – and that was at the very beginning of the season, when they lost three straight games. And if that doesn’t blow your mind, consider that two of their best players – forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog – have played only 56 and 51 games respectively.

f you don’t think all roads to the Cup in the Western Conference go through Denver, you’re fooling yourself.

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