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Avalanche Leading League With Dominant Early-Season Metrics
Nov 8, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) looks to make a play in front of Colorado Avalanche defensemen Cale Makar (8) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Avalanche Leading League With Dominant Early-Season Metrics

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI  |  By Samuel Len  |  Last updated Nov 20, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Colorado Avalanche aren’t just winning — they’re completely overwhelming teams. A month and a half into the 2025–26 season, they’ve become the NHL’s model of consistency and control, setting the pace in almost every major team and player category. They haven’t lost a single game in regulation at home, and they’ve only had one regulation defeat all season.

With stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Artturi Lehkonen and recently signed Martin Nečas driving the attack, Colorado looks every bit like a powerhouse built to stay on top. Their captains recent return to the scoresheet after scoring his first regular season goal since 2022 has also been huge for the team.

This is a team firing on every cylinder, with depth, structure, and star power all peaking at the same time. And when you look at the numbers, the dominance becomes almost absurd.

Colorado’s Team Metrics Are in a Class of Their Own

The Avalanche lead the NHL in goals per game (4.11), well ahead of the second-place Ducks at 3.65. They’re also first in total goals (78), five more than the Anaheim Ducks who have surprised many with how good they've been playing recently after basically being irrelevant for close to a decade.

But it’s not just offense. Colorado is also first in goals against, locking teams down with a disciplined structure and solid goaltending. Combine that with their explosive scoring, and it's no surprise the Avs have a jaw-dropping +33 goal differential, a full 17 goals better than the next closest team.

Advanced metrics tell the same story: Colorado sit first in expected goals-for percentage, meaning they control the quality of chances on both ends of the ice better than anyone. In a league defined by parity, this level of early-season dominance is something the NHL hasn’t seen in a long time.

Individual Stars Not Just Leading the Team

Colorado’s stars aren’t just contributing — they’re leading the league.

Nathan MacKinnon: NHL scoring leader with 33 points.

Cale Makar: Leads all defensemen with 25 points.

Scott Wedgewood: Leads the league in wins, sits second in GAA (2.17), and is tied for fourth in save percentage (.917) with Pittsburgh’s Arturs Silovs.

The Avalanche have even taken over the NHL’s top plus/minus leaderboard:
MacKinnon (+19), Lehkonen (+17), Makar (+17), and Nečas (+16) hold the top four spots, with Devon Toews sitting seventh at +13.

Do the Avalanche Even Have a Weakness?

The team's only blemish? The power play, sitting at 16.7%, has struggled to find itself. With this much talent, it feels like only a matter of time before that clicks too — and if it does, the rest of the league may have a problem. Fortunately for Colorado, their penalty kill is elite, ranked second in the NHL at 88.7%, behind the Buffalo Sabres.

And it’s not just the Avalanche playing this well. Something seems to be in the water in Denver. The Broncos are 6-0 at home, knocking off both of last year’s Super Bowl participants, while the Nuggets opened the season 6-0 at Ball Arena before a narrow loss to the Bulls. As for the Avs? They look every bit like a team ready to compete for the Stanley Cup.

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

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