On the eve of the NHL finals, the forecasts for the winner of the pair are almost equal, but the Avalanche still has a slight advantage over the opponent. We figure out how Colorado can break Tampa’s hegemony and win their first trophy in 21 years.

composition depth

Nazem Kadri / Photo: © REUTERS / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Without a doubt, there is no team in the NHL with a deeper bench than Colorado. Even the departure due to injury of one of the leaders, Nazem Kadri, who averaged more than one point per match in the playoffs, did not affect the Avalanche game in any way: Valery Nichushkin went on a promotion, taking his place in the first link, and Edmonton were swept 0-4 in the Conference Finals. It says a lot about team interchangeability.

However, the depth of the squad is not only about how you can shuffle players on the court. But also about the diversity of hockey players who can decide the outcome of the match. If the third link of “Tampa”, whose main goal will be to destroy the leading three “avalanches” led by Nathan McKinnon, achieves his goal, then there will be those in Colorado who will turn the outcome of the meeting in their favor: after all, Avalanche loves to throw and knows how, ranking first in the NHL in goals per game with a rate of 4.64. Their authors could be Artturi Lehkonen, who leads the “avalanches” in the number of game-winning goals, or the sensation of the season defender Keil Makar, the team’s top scorer right now.

Defender-scorer

Surprisingly, the most productive hockey player in the Colorado team is the defender. Cale Makar has 22 points and is considered the top contender for the Playoffs MVP.

Despite his goalscoring exploits, the quality of Makar’s play on defense does not suffer – he has already been recognized as the best player of the season in his role, and he finished the regular season with an impressive rating of +48. The 23-year-old Canadian plays not only in equal teams, but also in the majority and minority teams, and spends 27 minutes per match on the court, constantly creating threats to the opponent.

Cale Makar / Photo: © Icon Sportswire / Contributor / Icon Sportswire / Gettyimages.com

This season, Makar just soars above the ice: in the regular season, he set a personal best in points (86), blocks (110), power moves (95) and tackles (49). Judging by the statistics and the tendency to play in the attack, the Canadian on the ice poses a threat to both the defense of the opponent and the attack.

The semi-final series with Edmonton was his finest hour – in the confrontation with Connor McDavid and Co., the defender scored 9 points, including 5 – in one match. The Oilers certainly failed to shut down Makar, and they paid the price. “Tampa” is better to learn from the mistakes of others.

Freshness

Colorado swept through the playoffs with a breeze: the Avalanches played only 14 games, and two of the three series ended in a clean sheet. Between the semi-final and the final, they rested for more than a week! On the one hand, the lack of match practice can create unnecessary problems, because in training it is impossible to accurately reproduce the appearance of a real match. Tampa was already in a similar situation: the team quickly ended the series with the Florida and lost the condition for the semi-finals with the Rangers. As a result, the series started from 0-2 in favor of the club from New York.

Photo: © REUTERS/Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports

However, the Colorado players insist they will be 100% ready for the final:

– This is the final, so it’s not so important how much you rested. Even if it’s 40 days, everyone is still mentally set and ready to play,” said Avalanche striker Mikko Rantanen.

On the other hand, if the final drags on to six or seven games, Colorado will undoubtedly have an advantage in terms of freshness, which, due to this, can suppress a tired opponent. Still, Tampa started the playoffs with an exhausting seven-game series with Toronto and in total spent three meetings more than the Avalanches. Not so much, but in the final, such a trifle can make itself felt.