Oct 16, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his goal with center Elias Lindholm (28), left wing Brad Marchand (63), and center Trent Frederic (11) in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Odds Stacked Against Avalanche After Poor Start

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Nick Horwat | Last updated 10/17/24

The Colorado Avalanche have been a Stanley Cup contender each year for almost a decade now, including a championship run in 2022. The Avalanche lineup has routinely been one of the deepest in the NHL and Nathan MacKinnon is arguably a top-two player in the world right now.

The 2024-25 season is young, but it hasn’t been kind to the Avalanche. After a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, the Avalanche are winless with a record of 0-4-0. Sure, they may still be a contender for the Cup, but they’ve put themselves in a deep hole.

According to Sportsnet Stats, no team has ever won the Stanley Cup after starting a season with four straight losses.

Avalanche fall to 0-4-0.

No team in NHL history has won the Stanley Cup when beginning a season 0-4-0.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 17, 2024

The Pittsburgh Penguins started the 2015-16 season 0-3-0 and were shut out twice, but managed to rally for a win in their fourth game. The Penguins also struggled quite a bit during the season, firing their head coach before going on their Cup run.

The Avalanche’s stars have been doing their part, but it’s been a struggle collecting wins. Defenseman Kale Makar leads the team with eight points, Mikko Rantanen scored a hat trick in the season opener, and MacKinnon has six assists.

Goaltending has been the most clear and obvious obstacle. Alexandar Georgiev has started all four games and was pulled from the first two. In his four appearances, he’s given up 17 goals for a .800 save percentage and a 5.79 goals against average.

Even when the Avalanche finished the 2016-17 season with an awful 22-56-4 record, they at least started the year 3-1-0, including an overtime win over the reigning Cup champion Penguins.

The concern level might not yet be growing in Colorado because they keep showing signs of promise. They’ve scored 13 goals through four games and the stars are playing at the top of their game.

The defense and goaltending just need to wake up and start performing at an NHL level.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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