Avs’ blue line on verge of insanely rare NHL feat

There are a number of reasons why the Colorado Avalanche are a special bunch and why they have made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in over a couple of decades. And among the keys to their success is their deep blue line that is, of course, spearheaded by defenseman Cale Makar, who’s been sensational all season long, from the regular season down to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In fact, according to NHL Public Relations, Makar and company are on the cusp of joining an extremely exclusive statistical club.

The Avalanche (295) can become the 11th team in NHL history with 300+ points by defensemen in the regular season and playoff combined. Only the Rangers (307 in 1993-94) and Kings (326 in 1992-93) have gone so since the 1980s.

Given the way the Avs are playing in the playoffs plus the fact that there are still at least three more games to play in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado’s blue line should be able to rack up the five points it needs to reach the 300-point plateau.

So far in the playoffs, it’s even Makar who is leading all Avs skaters with 22 points (5 goals, 17 assists). His partner, Devon Toews, is second among Colorado defensemen with 13 points.

Had the Avs been more forgiving of their opponents in the previous rounds, their defensemen likely would have hit 300 points even before the first puck drop of the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals