The Colorado Avalanche will not be going 7-0 to start the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, a truth that many fans of the more fickle variety are struggling to cope with.
Not Gabe Landeskog, though, who said, “This is what we expected, and if you didn’t, I think you are a bit naive.”
This is a been-there-done-that moment for most of the guys on the Avalanche squad, as eight players from the 2022 Stanley Cup championship team are
still leading the group, but it still presents a pivotal moment inside this aspiring cup run.
The Colorado Avalanche tapped the keg, chilled the lines, and are pouring into round two vs. the Wild with a 2-1 series lead, scoring at a 5 goals a game pace.
It’s not about goal differential or pace this time of year; it’s about winning every night, and that focus is something only the most hardened competitors can navigate and truly understand.
So what characteristics will bubble to the surface this year for the Avalanche?
If the answer isn’t championship resolve, focus, and response, then this party will end, and all the patrons will head home, wondering why they even showed up.
I think there’s a good chance this gig rages long into the night with many more instances of ‘The Fate of Ophelia,’ but like it or not, the Avalanche have met hurdle number one of who knows how many if that’s what they are going for.
The ‘Response’ Siren
We are going to hear the word ‘response’ at borderline propaganda levels, but I want to be clear: this isn’t about the Avalanche responding to the Minnesota Wild.
It’s about the Avalanche responding to their own uncharacteristic chasing of the game and getting back to doing the right things—the things Colorado achieved and demonstrated, in general, over six straight playoff games.
A commitment to support and structure, with a killer instinct when in possession.
A devotion to maximum effort and sacrifice, with a healthy dose of world-class skill sprinkled in.
As Jared Bednar pointed out in the postgame, there’s no where to hide this time of the year, as he remarked: “They’re gonna see the video, the video doesn’t lie,” so we will know if the Avalanche have bought back into that identity. The who and when regarding that buy in will be a good indicator of how the Avalanche will fare the rest of the series.
I want to be clear that this isn’t an effort to take anything away from the Wild or their performance in game three, as they were the ones to embody the ask that’s required in the playoffs. I just don’t think the Avalanche didn’t have a maximum effort, either.
That’s what the Wild look like at the height of their game, but that’s not what it looks like when both teams go head-to-head with their best.
I’m not sure that’s happened yet in this series, but if it does, my money is on that starting game four on Monday night.
Let us know what you think of the challenge in the comments!
