EDMONTON, Alberta — The preseason hype surrounding a potential Avalanche run to the Stanley Cup was welcome pressure for Nathan MacKinnon with an experienced roster built to contend.
“Expectations are a good thing,” MacKinnon said. “Usually, if you don’t have any, then you’re not a very good team. We like it and we finally have some. This is my first time in my career in Colorado that we actually have expectations, so it feels good.”
Of course, MacKinnon could not have predicted the early season adversity threatening to derail Colorado’s title quest.
Nearing the 20-game mark, the Avalanche has faced constant injury attrition with seven players missing significant ice time — forwards Gabe Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Colin Wilson and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare; goalies Phillip Grubauer and Pavel Francouz; and defenseman Nikita Zadorov.