NHL | Colorado would like to advocate. They have the potential for that, Hertl also claims

Last year’s winners entered the season as the biggest favorites. But in the regular season, the Avalanche went through tough tests, mainly because of a lot of injuries. They still have to do without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who is skating, but it’s tough. And the convalescence of goalkeeper Pavel Francouz, who last caught on February 7, is dragging on.

Still, Colorado is practically certain of the playoffs. And despite Wednesday’s defeat with Minnesota (2:4), it could enter it in a solid fashion. They have won nine of the last 11 matches. “I still believe in Colorado that they have the potential to defend the Stanley Cup,” said San Jose striker Tomáš Hertl in a recent interview for Sport.cz.

The Avalanche dominated the West last year, while this year they are currently in third place in the Central Division. And if they don’t move to the top of it, either Minnesota or Dallas will be waiting for them in the first round. Nothing pleasant.

“I still think we can win again. Why not? We feel confident, so that’s our goal,” said team leader Nathan MacKinnon recently.

Even though the Avalanche left several important players after the triumph, such as forwards André Burakovsky (Seattle), Nazem Kadri (Calgary) and goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper, the axis of the team that can be relied on remained.

“It’s just a matter of putting all the pieces together,” says last season’s best defender Cale Makar. “We already know what level we need to get to. And we also know we can do it.”

March’s ten wins, sixty goals and a power-play success rate of almost 35 percent reflect this reasoning. But will it be enough?

“There are a lot of good teams and a lot of teams hungry to win, and we know it’s not easy,” said Finnish forward Mikko Rantanen. “There aren’t many teams that have defended the Stanley Cup. It’s probably going to be a lot harder than last year, but we are ready, we still have a good team.”

Even considering the course of the season, the Avalanche will have one big wish before the playoffs. “Cheers,” agrees MacKinnon. “If we don’t get held back by injuries, I’m optimistic,” Makar nods.