The way the Colorado Avalanche have started the 2026-27 season has been less than expected by fans and themselves, given how their first 12 games have gone.
Despite still having top-end talent and a bottom-six filled with younger players and veterans for leadership, a 6-5-1 record for 13 points isn't necessarily an awful start to the season, but for the expectations this team has and how they have played in those games, it's not good enough .
It's the NHL; losses will come. A bad penalty in the last minute, an unfortunate goal, the opponent's goaltender stands on their head for a game and looks seemingly unbeatable - stuff will happen.
With the Avalanche, a lack of puck discipline, poor special teams, and team defense are not on that list, especially given the timing of how this roster is built to win now with their championship window.
On paper, it's shown why they have six wins: players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas, and Artturi Lehkonen are leading the way in scoring. There's solid production from young players like T.J. Hughes and the new additions Zachary L'Heureux and Jaden Schwartz, but the underlying numbers and on-ice play throw it all away.
It's the inconsistency that's killing them game by game. They have a brutal showing against the New Jersey Devils in the second half of a back-to-back, but they bounce back against the Tampa Bay Lightning; a little rest and you blow them out 6-3. Then you proceed to get blown out by the Nashville Predators , who are in the second half of a back-to-back, and you had rest.
This team dominated in 5-on-5 production last season, and it made up for the lack of production from the power play. Add in some great goaltending from Scott Wedgewood and a solid penalty kill, and you can see why they finished as the Presidents' Trophy winner. This season, it's not the same recipe.
While 5-on-5 production is still there, the power play has yet to be figured out, sitting at an eye-watering 17.9% on the season, 10th worst in the NHL, and pair that with a penalty kill at 75%, 11th worst in the NHL, and you have a recipe where you're not going to win the special teams battle any given night.
Despite this, the team still ranks second in goals for per game at 4.08, good for second in the NHL; they rank 13th in goals allowed per game at 3.25. With shaky goaltending and poor defensive play in front of your own net and on the penalty kill, you can see why that number continues to grow.
Devon Toews (7) Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
While there are glaring issues that this team needs to fix, it's definitely not time to panic and decide that this year is a cop out year. It's not even November yet, and with two more games added to the regular season, there is plenty of time to get back on the right track and fix these errors.
Even with this turbulent play, with 13 points on the season so far, the Avalanche are only five points from the Minnesota Wild for first in the Central Division. This is where, based on how this team is playing right now, these head-to-head games against division opponents might be very important down the stretch for tiebreakers.
The Avalanche are an aging team, and while pure skating speed might not be all there compared to previous seasons, the talent is undeniable, and that should give hope for what's to come for the team in the future.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/avalanche/onsi as Avalanche Need to Look Themselves in the Mirror About Their Struggles .
