The Colorado Avalanche have risen to playoff contention following a surge of impressive performances, primarily fueled by the recent acquisitions of goaltenders Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. This turnaround follows a challenging start to the 2024-2025 NHL season, which saw the team struggling with inconsistent goaltending from Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen.
Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets currently leads the league with an impressive shooting percentage of 23.2%, followed closely by Aliakse Protos of the Capitals at 22.3%, and Ryan McLeod of the Sabres at 22.1%. However, the Avalanche have been focusing on more than just conventional scoring metrics; they are keenly analyzing shooting efficiency as well.
The Avalanche's top scorers, Valeri Nichushkin, Joel Kiviranta, and Artturi Lehkonen, are making waves in this regard with outstanding shooting percentages contributing to the team's overall resurgence.
Starting with Nichushkin, the 29-year-old left winger had a significant break in his season, serving a six-month suspension stemming from the previous playoff run. Making his return in mid-November 2024, Nichushkin has proven essential to the team's success. Thus far, he has scored 18 goals and provided 11 assists over just 33 games. This impressive record yields a shooting percentage of 20.7%, ranking him 16th in the NHL.
“When he’s on the ice, he stands out from the rest. When he’s not on the ice, it is incredibly noticeable,” commented Avalanche personnel on Nichushkin's impact on the squad.
Joel Kiviranta has been a revelation for the Avalanche this season, casting a spotlight on his own capabilities. Previously considered a role player, Kiviranta has climbed the ranks due to injuries affecting teammates. As he approaches his 71st game, Kiviranta has already achieved a career-high with 16 goals this season, doubling his prior best of eight goals. His shooting percentage of 20.8% places him right behind Nichushkin at 14th in the league.
Finally, Artturi Lehkonen has solidified his role on the top line and is enjoying a career-best season. Having been acquired from the Canadiens during the 2021-2022 campaign, Lehkonen has netted 70 goals in 184 games with Colorado, a remarkable improvement from his previous tally of 74 goals across 396 games with Montreal. This year, his shooting percentage of 21.6% ranks him narrowly outside to crack the top five among NHL scorers.
In summary, the Avalanche's success can be attributed to a combination of strong individual performances, particularly in shooting accuracy and an elite-goaltending duo, which appears to be pushing the team towards a playoff berth in a building season for Colorado.
