Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri has been suspended eight games for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of their first-round postseason matchup.

It's the sixth suspension for Kadri in his past 704 games. Faulk, meanwhile, did not return to play in Game 2 and was unavailable for Game 3 on Friday. St. Louis head coach Craig Berube has not ruled out the defenseman for the remainder of the series, but he remains questionable going forward.

Colorado’s Nazem Kadri has been suspended for eight games for an Illegal Check to the Head on St. Louis’ Justin Faulk. https://t.co/5rg2ZPVm5P

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 22, 2021

The Avs hold a 2-0 series lead pending Friday's result.

Even before the NHL's ruling, Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly said a suspension was necessary given Kadri's past.

"That's a very dangerous hit," O'Reilly told reporters. "It's gotta be a suspension. He's a repeat offender. It's completely uncalled for. That's awful to see."

According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, the league's Department of Player Safety offered an in-person hearing—conducted via zoom—before a ruling was announced. That gave the league the ability to suspend Kadri for at least five games.

Kadri initially received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, removing him from play in the third period of a 6-3 victory.

"The guy can't control himself," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "In the playoffs, he's a repeat offender. Bad hits, greasy hits—he had a guy in a vulnerable position, and he picked nothing but the head."

The Department of Player Safety factors in repeat offender status into its discipline. Here's Nazem Kadri's history of fines/suspensions pic.twitter.com/klhzE35S7Z

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) April 14, 2019

Kadri last served a suspension in the postseason as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019, missing five games of his club's first-round series against the Boston Bruins for a cross-check on Jake DeBrusk.

All the Colorado Avalanche had to do to win the Presidents' Trophy and the top overall seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was beat the lowly Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. 

So that's what they did. 

We’ve secured that home ice advantage!

Oh yeah, and our 10th division title, and 3rd Presidents’ Trophy ☺️#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/QoyNcPmR1w

— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 14, 2021

Thanks to five goals in the second period, the Avalanche cruised 5-1. Tyson Jost had two goals, while Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Joonas Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky got on the board as well. 

Conor Timmins couldn't have passed that puck any better. 👏 pic.twitter.com/QziatrLM7b

— NHL (@NHL) May 14, 2021

Talk about hand-eye coordination. Goodness, Joonas Donskoi! pic.twitter.com/1739BO3BaH

— NHL (@NHL) May 14, 2021

In case you didn't know, @andreburakovsky has one heck of a wrist shot. pic.twitter.com/xwtyWf387X

— NHL (@NHL) May 14, 2021

Mikko Rantanen and Conor Timmins chipped in with two assists apiece. 

And so Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche (83 points) jumped ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights (82 points) to win the West Division, claiming the Presidents' Trophy and top overall seed in the postseason.

That will set up a first-round series between the Avalanche and St. Louis Blues, while the Golden Knights will face the Minnesota Wild. 

The rest of the playoff picture was already determined before Thursday night. 

In the North Division, the 1-seed Toronto Maple Leafs will take on the 4-seed Montreal Canadiens in a battle of storied franchises, while Connor McDavid and the 2-seed Edmonton Oilers face the 3-seed Winnipeg Jets. 

In the Central Division, the 1-seed Carolina Hurricanes will take on the 4-seed Nashville Predators, while the 2-seed Florida Panthers will go head-to-head with the defending champion 3-seed Tampa Bay Lightning in a battle for Florida bragging rights.

And finally in the East, Sidney Crosby and the 1-seed Pittsburgh Penguins will take on the 4-seed New York Islanders, while Alex Ovechkin and the 2-seed Washington Capitals ready for the 3-seed Boston Bruins.

The NHL playoffs will have a unique format this year, with the first two rounds being completely intradivisional. Once all four divisions determine a winner, the four teams remaining will be re-seeded based on the regular-season standings. 

So in theory, the top-seeded Avalanche—traditionally in the Western Conference—could face a team traditionally in the Eastern Conference like the Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals before the Stanley Cup Final. That could lead to some fun, unusual matchups and potentially conference rivals facing off in the Final. 

Just imagine a Toronto-Boston matchup in the Stanley Cup Final. It should be an interesting postseason as the NHL experiments with a new format.  

The Colorado Avalanche clinched a playoff berth for the fourth straight season after beating the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Thursday.

Avalanche left wing Andre Burakovsky scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner. Center Nathan MacKinnon, meanwhile, had three assists.

Here's how the latest playoff picture and standings shake out, along with a look at the playoff matchups if the season ended Thursday. 

            

West Division

1. Vegas Golden Knights: 68 points (33-11-2)

2. Colorado Avalanche: 66 points (31-9-4)

3. Minnesota Wild: 61 points (29-13-3)

4. Arizona Coyotes: 45 points (20-22-5)

Tentative first-round playoff matchups: No. 1 Vegas vs. No. 4 Arizona, No. 2 Colorado vs. No. 3 Minnesota

          

Central Division

1. Carolina Hurricanes: 67 points (31-10-5)

2. Florida Panthers: 65 points (30-13-5)

3. Tampa Bay Lightning: 64 points (31-14-2)

4. Nashville Predators: 52 points (25-21-2)

Tentative first-round playoff matchups: No. 1 Carolina vs. No. 4 Nashville, No. 2 Florida vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay

             

East Division

1. Washington Capitals: 64 points (30-13-4)

2. Pittsburgh Penguins: 63 points (30-14-3)

3. New York Islanders: 63 points (29-13-5)

4. Boston Bruins: 60 points (27-12-6)

Tentative first-round playoff matchups: No. 1 Washington vs. No. 4 Boston, No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. No. 3 New York

               

North Division

1. Toronto Maple Leafs: 63 points (29-13-5)

2. Winnipeg Jets: 57 points (27-16-3)

3. Edmonton Oilers: 56 points (27-16-2)

4. Montreal Canadiens: 49 points (20-15-9)

Tentative first-round playoff matchups: No. 1 Toronto vs. No. 4 Montreal, No. 2 Winnipeg vs. No. 3 Edmonton

              

Notes

This season's playoff format is unique, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the NHL to go to a more geography-based division structure and schedule.

The league has been split up into four divisions (West, Central, East, North) for a 56-game regular-season slate.

The top four teams in each division move on to the playoffs. Each division will have a four-team playoff to determine its champion, and then the four division winners will square off in the finals, which will be seeded based on regular-season points.

The Avalanche were never in serious danger of missing the playoffs in the top-heavy West Division, which has been controlled by the Vegas Golden Knights, Avs and Minnesota Wild all year. Those teams have 61 or more points, while the remainder of the division is at .500 or worse.

Colorado has designs on more than a playoff berth, though. The Avs would probably like to catch the NHL-leading Knights and take first in the West, which would mean avoiding the third-place Wild in the first round.

Doing so might be easier said than done, with the scorching-hot Golden Knights winning eight straight. However, the Avs have outscored their opponents by more goals per game than any other team in the league.

Second, the Avs would also like to make the Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years, when they beat the New Jersey Devils for the trophy. Colorado has not made the Western Conference Final since 2001-02 but reached the second round in each of the past two years.

The Avs have the talent to get it done.

Seven players have scored 10 or more goals, with Mikko Rantanen leading the way with 26. However, Rantanen was added to the league's COVID-19 protocol absence list on Wednesday.

MacKinnon is the top point scorer with 56 (18 goals, 38 helpers).

Philipp Grubauer has been great in goal, posting a 2.00 GAA and .920 save percentage, but he's been in the league's COVID-19 protocol since April 14 and may be out through Wednesday at minimum.

No team has allowed fewer goals than the Avs, who have also posted the least regulation losses (nine). An excellent defense led by Cale Makar, Samuel Girard and Devon Toews helps the cause.

The NHL announced Friday that the Colorado Avalanche have had their next three scheduled games postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

The @NHL announces @Avalanche games tonight vs. the @LAKings through April 20 are postponed. https://t.co/oAD6AAwDhD pic.twitter.com/60XsjZIfoT

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 16, 2021

The league noted that a third Avalanche player was placed in COVID protocols Friday, meaning games against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday and Sunday have been postponed, as has Colorado's game against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

If the Avalanche return no new positive tests in the coming days, the NHL expects them to return to practice April 21 and return to game action April 22 against the Blues.

Prior to Friday, rookie defenseman Bo Byram and starting goalie Philipp Grubauer had already been placed on the COVID list by the Avs.

Byram, 19, was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft. He has appeared in 19 games during his debut season, tallying two assists, a plus-1 rating and 23 penalty minutes and 17:31 of ice time per game.

Grubauer is the bigger loss given his status as a top contender to win the Vezina Trophy, given annually to the NHL's top goaltender.

The 29-year-old leads the league with five shutouts and also boasts a 25-8-1 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.

Colorado acquired veteran goalie Devan Dubnyk from the San Jose Sharks prior to the trade deadline, and he will likely fill in as the Avs' starter until Grubauer returns.

The Avalanche also have Jonas Johansson in goal after acquiring him from the Buffalo Sabres last month.

Colorado is the top team in the NHL so far this season with a 30-9-4 record, which is good for 64 points. That puts the Avs four points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the West Division.

The Avalanche could be in danger of losing the NHL's top spot with three games getting postponed, but Colorado is stacked with enough talent to close the gap should that happen.

The NHL announced the postponement of all Colorado Avalanche games through Feb. 11 due to the league's health and safety protocols. 

NHL officials will use the hiatus to further analyze COVID-19 test results from the organization. The team's training facilities will also remain closed until further notice, the league announced Thursday. 

Schedule Update: @Avalanche games postponed through February 11. https://t.co/o42HHY0569 pic.twitter.com/5YfU4QP8Ky

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) February 5, 2021

The Avs were previously scheduled to face the St. Louis Blues and Arizona Coyotes twice each between Thursday and Feb. 11. 

The news out of Colorado follows the announcement of Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger testing positive early on Thursday. The Sabres have seen their games postponed through Monday with the league closing team facilities as well. 

The Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitols and Winnipeg Jets each have players who are currently in COVID-19 protocol. 

The Wild and Devils have also been placed on hiatus by the league. 

Additionally, the NHL announced a series of updates to its coronavirus guidelines, including the limitation of time at the game arena, physical distancing in team spaces and a requirement of teams to deploy air filtration and cleaning equipment. 

Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters Tuesday.  

MacKinnon has yet to miss a game this season but was absent from the bench during the third period and overtime of Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Through 10 contests, the center has notched 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) as the Avs (6-3-1, 13 points) remain tied atop the West Division with the St. Louis Blues. 

The 25-year-old is coming off a 93-point campaign last season that saw him finish as runner-up to Hart Trophy winner Leon Draisaitl as league MVP. He won't be easy for Colorado to replace in the lineup, especially with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Matt Calvert, Pavel Francouz, Erik Johnson and Devon Toews each remaining week-to-week, as well.

Bednar explained he'll give updates on each player at the beginning of each week moving forward.

It just doesn't appear MacKinnon will be back on the ice in the immediate future.

"It's not a situation where he's back and ready to play for us tomorrow," Bednar said.

The coach noted J.T. Compher (one goal, one assist) will replace MacKinnon on the top line with wingers Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen for the time being.

"We know how great Nate has been for us over the last few years and to start the year," Compher said. "With that said, I'm not Nate. Gabe and Mikko, we're on the same page and I need to just play my game, support those guys and do what I can to help the team win."

The Avs host Minnesota on Tuesday and Thursday before a weekend series at St. Louis. They'll then face the Vegas Golden Knights and Arizona Coyotes four times each to wrap up the month. 

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has won the 2020 Calder Trophy as the top first-year player in the NHL.

The League's top rookie and Calder Memorial Trophy winner in 2019-20 is Cale Makar (@Cmakar16)‼️ #NHLAwards@NHLdotcom has more ➡️ https://t.co/kme8aIpPPf pic.twitter.com/Bowa7iVaaf

— NHL (@NHL) September 21, 2020

Makar was considered the top rookie in the league over the other finalists: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and Chicago Blackhawks left wing Dominik Kubalik.

Here's a look at the voting breakdown:

https://twitter.com/AdamVingan/status/1308173111527976961

The 2017 first-round pick made his much-anticipated debut in the playoffs last year and came through with a game-winning goal in his first appearance and five assists over the next nine games. He carried this level of play into the regular season with 50 points in 57 games. He was one of seven defensemen regardless of age with at least 50 points, ranking second among rookies behind only Hughes.

What separated Makar was his production in fewer games, averaging 0.88 points per appearance.

The Avalanche star also finished plus-12 on the season compared to Hughes' minus-10, making a significant impact on both ends of the ice.

Makar immediately jumped into a big role with Colorado, averaging more than 21 minutes on the ice per game. The 21-year-old was also second on the team with 38 assists, trailing only 2013-14 Calder Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon.

The Canadian helped the Avalanche become one of the best teams in the league this season with 92 points in 70 games. His level of play and impressive production made Makar the top rookie in the NHL, and he became the first defenseman to win this award since Aaron Ekblad in 2014-15.

Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon has won the Lady Byng Trophy for the first time in his career, an honor given to the player who "best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability."

The 24-year-old topped finalists Ryan O'Reilly of the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews. 

Nathan MacKinnon of the @Avalanche is the 2019-20 recipient of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/YxdaYUU9eq

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) September 11, 2020

MacKinnon has been one of the top all-around players in hockey for the past few years, earning four straight All-Star selections while topping 90 points for the third straight season.

His high level of play has especially stood out in 2019-20 while helping the Avalanche become one of the top teams in the NHL with 90 points heading into the postseason. He was recognized as a finalist for the Hart Trophy, MVP of the league and the Ted Lindsey Award as the most outstanding player based on a vote from his peers.

The numbers also support this recognition while ranking eighth in the NHL in point shares.

While the rest of his play is impressive, MacKinnon put himself in the Lady Byng conversation after tallying just 12 penalty minutes all season despite averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game. This came after finishing with 55 PIM just two years ago.

His turnaround in this area has been rewarded with yet another honor to add to his already impressive resume.

A third player for the Colorado Avalanche has tested positive for COVID-19.

The NHL announced Tuesday the player is in self-isolation and hasn't had any contact with teammates or members of the coaching staff:

Statement from the @NHL regarding @Avalanche player. pic.twitter.com/gQO2WOXzEK

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 7, 2020

The Avs previously announced March 26 and March 28 that players tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Per TSN's Frank Seravalli, a total of eight players between the Avalanche and Ottawa Senators have tested positive for the virus. Those are the only known cases of the coronavirus in the NHL at this point. 

There is no apparent connection between the Avs and Senators, who last played each other Feb. 6 in Ottawa.

Colorado's final game before the NHL suspended the season was a 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers at the Pepsi Center on March 11. 

 

There appears to be good news for two members of the Colorado Avalanche who previously tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Per Adrian Dater of 104.3 The Fan, Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog announced Tuesday that both players have recovered. 

In separate statements on March 26 and March 28, the Avalanche announced two different, unnamed players had tested positive for the virus. 

The March 26 announcement noted the player had since recovered after going into self-isolation at his home when the symptoms first started. 

In the March 28 announcement, the Avs noted the player was in isolation and that other players, coaches and people with the organization who might have had contact with him were informed and also in self-isolation. 

There have been a total of four known coronavirus cases involving NHL players. The Ottawa Senators announced they had two players test positive for COVID-19. 

The NHL suspended its season on March 12 because of the ongoing pandemic.