Avalanche hope depth scoring continues to shine in West Final

Nathan MacKinnon was talking about the Colorado Avalanche's depth scoring when he remembered some of the numbers. 

"I saw before the game we have 16 or 17 guys with goals. "Was that your first one?" the Avalanche center said to defenseman Brett Kulak, who was sharing the podium with him following their 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round on Wednesday.

Kulak, who scored the series-clinching goal in overtime, said yes. 

"So, another guy," MacKinnon said. "That's a great stat. That's the stats you want to see, team stats. Everyone is chipping in." 

There's no doubt about that, as Kulak became the 16th -- yes 16th -- Avalanche player to score a goal in the second round. It's tremendous depth Colorado has enjoyed through the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it's something they'll need again when they face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.

Game 1 is at Ball Arena on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

The Avalanche's 16 different goal scorers tied an NHL record for most in a single series with the 2025 St. Louis Blues (first round), 2019 Boston Bruins (Cup Final), 1993 Los Angeles Kings (division semifinal) and 1988 Bruins (Cup Final).

Sure, it helps to have a 9-6 win against the Wild in Game 1, when the Avalanche had eight different goal scorers (defenseman Cale Makar had two goals in that game), but you get the point: whether it's a defenseman or a third- or fourth-line forward, chances are he's pitched in on offense.

What did coach Jared Bednar think of that stat?

"I love it. I love it. That's hard to beat," he said. "When you have different guys stepping up every night, you can't key on one guy. There's no sort of coming in to play our time and you're like, 'If we shut down the MacKinnon line, we're going to win.' To me, that's not a recipe for success."

Scan the Avalanche stats, and you'll see that 18 of their 21 players who have participated in the postseason thus far have at least one point. 

"Third line, fourth line, everybody's scoring, contributing. And if they're not scoring, they're playing great 5-on-5 where they don't give up on anything," Avalanche forward Martin Necas said. "There's not going to be every game that, you know, the first or second line is going to be winning games. But in the playoffs, those third and four lines, they matter the most."

Game 5 is a perfect example of that for the Avalanche. Kulak scored the winner at 3:52 of overtime and MacKinnon scored to tie it 3-3 at 18:37 of the third period. Who, however, had the two goals to get the Avalanche within reach? Two players on their fourth line. 

Left wing Parker Kelly had his second of the postseason at the 11-minute mark of the second period to cut the deficit to 3-1 and center Jack Drury had his second of the playoffs at 16:27 of the third to get the Avalanche within 3-2.

"I think we've talked about it from Day 1 of training camp, the depth is what's going to win you, coming down the stretch here and in the playoffs. Guys are stepping up all over the place," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said.

"Even guys who aren't getting on the scoresheet, you look at 'Nelly' (Brock Nelson), you look at Val (Valeri Nichushkin), you go up and down the lineup. Guys who aren't getting on the scoresheet (are) still contributing with so many important plays all over the ice."

The Avalanche's depth has helped them in many ways. It's helped them with injuries, be it in the regular season or the playoffs. It's helped them with goaltending, as both Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood have won games for them. And it's definitely been critical on offense. 

"You're trying to get everyone in the right spots, in the right matchups," Bednar said. "Everyone can excel in the role and that's what we've been getting so far in the playoffs and that's what we're going to continue to need to get in order to keep advancing."