A look at some of the storylines surrounding the Colorado Avalanche ahead of their third trip to the Stanley Cup Final and first in 21 years.
Stanley Cup Final Experience
* Four players on Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs roster have appeared in a Final: Darren Helm, Andrew Cogliano, Andre Burakovsky and Artturi Lehkonen, with only Helm (2008 w/ DET) and Burakovsky (2018 w/ WSH) capturing a championship.
* Helmcan become the fourth player in League history to go 14-plus years between Cup wins – only Chris Chelios (1986 MTL & 2002 DET), Mark Recchi (1991 PIT & 2006 CAR) and Bill Guerin (1995 NJD & 2009 PIT) have done so.
* The Colorado roster includes two players with at least 1,000 career regular-season games who have yet to win the Stanley Cup: Cogliano and Jack Johnson. Cogliano helped Dallas defeat Colorado in the 2020 Second Round and later appeared in all six games during the Stanley Cup Final, with the Stars falling to the Lightning.
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2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Team Storylines
* Following wins in 1996 (4-0 W vs. FLA) and 2001 (4-3 W vs. NJD), the Avalanche can become the fourth franchise in NHL history to win each of its first three or more Stanley Cup Final appearances – only the Islanders (4: 1980, 1981, 1982 & 1983), original Ottawa Senators (4: 1920, 1921, 1923 & 1927) and Maple Leafs (3: 1918, 1922 & 1932) have done so.
* The Avalanche can become the sixth franchise to debut in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) or later to win at least three Stanley Cups. Edmonton (5), Pittsburgh (5), NY Islanders (4), New Jersey (3) and Tampa Bay (3) have all done so.
* The Avalanche became the eighth team since 1987 (when all rounds became a best-of-seven) to suffer only two losses en route to clinching a berth into the Final.
* Colorado has rallied to win in eight of their 12 victories during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, tying the most comeback wins in a single postseason in franchise history (also 8 in 1996). Only six teams in NHL history have posted more in a playoff year: Pittsburgh (10 in 2009), Dallas (9 in 2020 & 1999), Carolina (9 in 2006), NY Islanders (9 in 1980) and Montreal (9 in 1971).
* The Avalanche have also benefited from their success on the road this postseason, winning each of their past seven games and matching the franchise record for most consecutive road victories in a playoff year (also 7 GP in 1999). In the process, they also tied the second-longest such run in NHL history and now trail only the 2012 Kings (10 GP).
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2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Player Storylines
* Fresh off a five-point performance in Game 4 against the Oilers, Cale Makar (5-17—22 in 14 GP) enters the Stanley Cup Final having set franchise benchmarks for assists and points by a defenseman in one playoff year. He now sits two goals shy of besting Rob Blake (6 in 2001 & 2002) for the most by a blueliner in a single postseason.
* Makar (5-17—22) also sits three assists shy of becoming the fifth defenseman in NHL history to record at least 20 in a postseason and establishing a franchise record for most in a single playoff year by any skater in Avalanche/Nordiques history – a mark currently held by Peter Stastny (19 in 1985 w/ QUE).
* The Avalanche will begin the 2022 Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena, where Nathan MacKinnon (11-7—18 in 14 GP) has found the score sheet in each of Colorado’s seven home games this postseason (8-5—13); he sits two games shy of the longest home point streak in the playoffs in franchise history, a mark Claude Lemieux set in 1997 (9 GP).
*MacKinnon (11-7—18 in 14 GP) has a double-digit goal total in a single postseason for the first time in his career and now sits one tally shy of joining Joe Sakic (84 G in 172 GP) and Peter Forsberg (58 G in 140 GP) as the third player to score 40 playoff goals for the franchise (39-48—87 in 64 GP).
* Five of MacKinnon’s tallies during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs have come on the man advantage and the Avalanche forward now sits one power-play goal from tying Nazem Kadri (6 in 2020) and Sakic (6 in 1996) for the second most in a playoff year in franchise history. Michel Goulet (7 in 1985) owns the all-time mark by an Avalanche/ Nordiques skater.
* Pavel Francouz sports a 6-0 record (2.86 GAA, .906 SV%,1 SO) in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, tied for the longest winning streak by a goaltender in one playoff year in franchise history.
* Francouz – who joined teammate Darcy Kuemper (6-2) with six victories this postseason – helped Colorado become the fourth team in NHL history to feature multiple goaltenders with six or more win in a single playoff year, joining the 2017 Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury: 9-6 & Matt Murray: 7-3), 2010 Flyers (Michael Leighton: 8-3 & Brian Boucher: 6-6) and 1972 Bruins (Gerry Cheevers: 6-2 & Eddie Johnston: 6-1). Both Pittsburgh and Boston went on to capture the Stanley Cup.
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Potential Matchup vs. New York Rangers
* An Avalanche-Rangers matchup would be the first Stanley Cup Final in history to feature a head-to-head showdown between defensemen who enter the series with at least 20 points apiece (Cale Makar and Adam Fox).
* The only head-to-head postseason meeting with New York came during the 1995 Conference Quarterfinals, a series which saw the Rangers oust the Nordiques in six games. The duo of Alex Kovalev (4-5—9) and Brian Leetch (2-7—9) outdueled Scott Young (3-3—6), Peter Forsberg (2-4—6) and Bob Bassen (2-4—6). JoeSakic led the Nordiques with four goals.
* Joe Sakic, who posted 4-1—5 against the Rangers during that series, captained the Avalanche to the first of two Stanley Cup wins in franchise history and may have his team defeat a former teammate to become third individual in NHL history to win a championship as both a player and general manager with the same franchise. To date, only Serge Savard of the Canadiens (player: 8; GM: 2) and Milt Schmidt of the Bruins (player: 2; GM: 2) have done so. In addition, Lester Patrick won the Cup as Rangers GM three times, including in 1928 when he also tended goal for the club under emergency circumstances in Game 2 of the Final.
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Potential Matchup vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
* An Avalanche-Lightning Stanley Cup Final would pit 2021-22 Norris Trophy finalists Cale Makar and Victor Hedman against one another. Only five championship series in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) have featured a head-to-head showdown between Norris Trophy finalists from that season: 2001 (Ray Bourque, COLvs. Scott Stevens, NJD), 1989 (Al MacInnis, CGY vs. Chris Chelios, MTL), 1978 (Larry Robinson, MTL vs. Brad Park, BOS), 1973 (Bill White, CHI vs. Guy Lapointe, MTL) and 1972 (Bobby Orr, BOS vs. Brad Park, NYR).
* The Lightning and Avalanche have never met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the two rank first and third, respectively, in regular-season wins over the past four seasons. The Avalanche/Nordiques hold an all-time series record of 13-9 when facing off against an opponent for the first time in a best-of-seven.
* Lightning defenseman Cal Foote grew up in Denver and played AAA hockey and captained the Colorado Thunderbirds in 2014-15. Cal’s father, Adam Foote, played 1,137 career games with the Avalanche/Nordiques (967 regular season & 170 playoffs), capturing both Stanley Cups with the franchise and donned the ’C’ for two seasons from 2009-2011.
* Artturi Lehkonen is off to the Final again after netting a series-clinching goal in overtime in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final – a feat he also accomplished in 2021 with the Canadiens during the Stanley Cup Semifinals alongside current Lightning forward Corey Perry. Lehkonen can also join Perry (2020, 2021 vs. TBL), Allan Stanley (1958, 1959 vs. MTL), Larry Regan (1958, 1959 vs. MTL), Eddie Gerard (1921, 1922 vs. VMI) and Gerry Carson (1929, 1930 vs. BOS) as the sixth player in NHL history to face the same Stanley Cup Final opponent in consecutive years while playing for different teams.
* The Avalanche/Nordiques franchise holds an all-time series record of 2-4 when facing the defending Stanley Cup champions in a playoff series, with the two wins coming in their three such matchups since relocating to Denver in 1995-96.
