Who’s Stopping The Avalanche?

The Avalanche have been nearly unbeatable in January — and the Stanley Cup front-runners have a shot at NHL history before the month is out.

On Wednesday, Colorado won its eighth straight, a 4-3 comeback victory in OT over the Bruins. The Avs also extended their home winning streak to 17 games — the fifth-longest in league history (Red Wings, 23, 2011-12).

At 13-0-1 in January, they’ve totaled the franchise’s most wins ever in a single month — and with two games remaining, the Avs can tie the all-time mark of 15 in a month (Bruins, 2014; Penguins, 2013).

• Their record (30-8-3) is the best in team history at the season’s midpoint.
• Their plus-50 goal differential is tied with the Panthers for tops in the NHL.
• The Avs are the first team since the 1995-96 Penguins with five-plus players to reach the 40-point mark halfway through the season.

On a team with stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog, the offensive catalyst has been 23-year-old defenseman Cale Makar.

The former Calder Trophy winner, who signed a six-year, $54 million contract extension over the summer, has 17 goals and 24 assists and is the favorite to win the Norris Trophy (+200*).

Colorado (+500*) hasn’t made it past the second round of the postseason since 2010 but is the current favorite to win its first Cup since 2001.