Top Moment: 10-Game Winning Streak

One game at a time was the Colorado Avalanche's mentality as the club went on a 10-game win streak during the 2017-18 season from Dec. 29 to Jan. 22. It was the second-longest streak in franchise history and tied for the longest in the NHL last year.
The streak began with an eventful night on Dec. 29, 2017 versus the Toronto Maple Leafs at Pepsi Center. The Avalanche won the game 4-3 in overtime when rookie forward J.T. Compher scored his third game-winning goal of his career and his first OT tally.
Little did the team know at the time, that game sparked an exciting run for the Avs during the month of January.

Colorado outscored its opponents 41-16 during the streak, scoring the first goal in each game and did not trail at any point in the first nine outings.

Midway through the run, the Avalanche took its league-mandated bye week from Jan. 7-12, putting the team's streak and momentum on hold before facing off versus the Dallas Stars on Jan. 13.
"The guys, especially with the little bit of success we were having before the break, they're anxious to get back at it," Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said before the game versus Dallas. "With Dallas coming off a bye week as well, I think it comes down to getting back to that competitive spirt and making sure that your execution is good. That will be the difference makers in the game."
The Avs entered the sixth game of their streak motivated, playing on the road for the first time since Dec. 23. Colorado used a strong third period to defeat Dallas 4-1 and continue its winning ways.
The Avalanche then returned home for another three contests and defeated the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers before heading out on the road.

"I think this streak means a lot to our guys because it's at home and playing in front of our fans," said Bednar following the win over the Rangers, game 9 of the streak. "Another great crowd tonight, they were into it right away and I think we feed off that. And our guys are hungry to keep it going. It means a lot to them, and it's showing in their play and what they say to each other on the bench. I am really happy with what I see going on right now."
Forward Nathan MacKinnon also went on a few streaks of his own during the four-week period. He recorded goals in five straight games and points in nine consecutive outings, attributing to the streak and camaraderie in the locker room.
"It's fun," MacKinnon said following the ninth consecutive win. "It's fun to share this with everyone; we're a real close locker room. Everyone has really accepted their role, which is really important for a winning team. Things are loose, but we are still intense, it's a good balance we have right now."
On Jan. 22 at the Maple Leafs, for the first time in four weeks, the Avs found themselves trailing in a game. Toronto forward Auston Matthews scored in the middle of the second frame to give them a 2-1 lead. Colorado had not trailed in the first 577 minutes and 32 seconds of its winning streak and was suddenly experiencing something the club hadn't dealt with in almost a whole month.
However, the Avs weren't behind for long. They trailed for a total of 94 seconds before Nail Yakupov finished a 2-on-1 with Alexander Kerfoot to tie the game. The Avalanche went on to win its 10th game in a row with the 4-2 victory at Air Canada Centre.

The historic streak came to an end the following night in Montreal when the Avalanche fell to the Canadiens.
While the main streak was over, the Avs still continued a home winning streak. Colorado won 10 straight games at Pepsi Center from Dec. 29 to Feb. 14, equaling the franchise record previously set by the Quebec Nordiques in 1983-94 and 1994-95. The streak helped the Avs tie the franchise mark for the most home victories in a season (28), which was previously set by the 2000-01 Stanley Cup championship team.
The Avalanche became the first team to have a 10-game overall winning streak and 10-game home winning streak in the same season since the Anaheim Ducks in 2013-14.
The stretch also helped the team gain momentum to record the best-ever 20-game home stretch in a single season in Colorado history, as it went 16-3-1 in a push to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs (Dec. 29-March 24).
In the end, every point was necessary for the Avalanche to earn a spot for the highly-competitive postseason and complete a 47-point turnaround from the year before.