2017–18 Colorado Avalanche season

2017–18 Colorado Avalanche
Division	4th Central
Conference	8th Western
2017–18 record	43–30–9
Home record	28–11–2
Road record	15–19–7
Goals for	257
Goals against	237
Team information
General manager	Joe Sakic
Coach	Jared Bednar
Captain	Gabriel Landeskog
Alternate captains	Erik Johnson Nathan MacKinnon
Arena	Pepsi Center
Average attendance	15,586
Minor league affiliate(s)	San Antonio Rampage (AHL) Colorado Eagles (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Nathan MacKinnon (39)
Assists	Nathan MacKinnon (58)
Points	Nathan MacKinnon (97)
Penalty minutes	Nikita Zadorov (103)
Plus/minus	Patrik Nemeth (+27)
Wins	Semyon Varlamov (24)
Goals against average	Andrew Hammond (2.03)

The 2017–18 Colorado Avalanche season was the 23rd operational season and 22nd playing season since the franchise relocated from Quebec prior to the start of the 1995–96 NHL season. As well as the franchise's 39th season in the National Hockey League and 46th season overall. After finishing the previous season in last place with just 48 points (21 points behind the next worst team), the Avalanche clinched the playoffs for the first time since the 2013–14 season.

Standings

Central Division

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	p – Nashville Predators	82	53	18	11	47	267	211	+56	117
2	x – Winnipeg Jets	82	52	20	10	48	277	218	+59	114
3	x – Minnesota Wild	82	45	26	11	42	253	232	+21	101
4	x – Colorado Avalanche	82	43	30	9	41	257	237	+20	95
5	St. Louis Blues	82	44	32	6	41	226	222	+4	94
6	Dallas Stars	82	42	32	8	38	235	225	+10	92
7	Chicago Blackhawks	82	33	39	10	32	229	256	−27	76

Source: National Hockey League
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot

Western Conference Wild Card

Pos	Div	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	PA	x – Los Angeles Kings	82	45	29	8	43	239	203	+36	98
2	CE	x – Colorado Avalanche	82	43	30	9	41	257	237	+20	95
3	CE	St. Louis Blues	82	44	32	6	41	226	222	+4	94
4	CE	Dallas Stars	82	42	32	8	38	235	225	+10	92
5	PA	Calgary Flames	82	37	35	10	35	218	248	−30	84
6	PA	Edmonton Oilers	82	36	40	6	31	234	263	−29	78
7	CE	Chicago Blackhawks	82	33	39	10	32	229	256	−27	76
8	PA	Vancouver Canucks	82	31	40	11	31	218	264	−46	73
9	PA	Arizona Coyotes	82	29	41	12	27	208	256	−48	70

Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot

Schedule and results

Preseason

The preseason schedule was released on June 13, 2017.

2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 19	Vegas	4–1	Colorado		Martin	—	0–1–0	Recap
2	September 21	Dallas	1–5	Colorado		Varlamov	—	1–1–0	Recap
3	September 23	Colorado	1–2	Minnesota		Bernier	18,754	1–2–0	Recap
4	September 24	Minnesota	1–5	Colorado		Varlamov	—	2–2–0	Recap
5	September 25	Colorado	4–2	Dallas		Bernier	10,200	3–2–0	Recap
6	September 28	Colorado	4–2	Vegas		Varlamov	15,337	4–2–0	Recap

Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on June 22, 2017.

2017–18 game log
October: 6–5–0 (Home: 4–1–0 ; Road: 2–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 5 Colorado 4–2 NY Rangers Varlamov 18,006 1–0–0 2 Recap 2 October 7 Colorado 1–4 New Jersey Bernier 16,514 1–1–0 2 Recap 3 October 9 Colorado 4–0 Boston Varlamov 17,565 2–1–0 4 Recap 4 October 11 Boston 3–6 Colorado Varlamov 18,011 3–1–0 6 Recap 5 October 13 Anaheim 1–3 Colorado Bernier 15,393 4–1–0 8 Recap 6 October 14 Colorado 1–3 Dallas Varlamov 17,967 4–2–0 8 Recap 7 October 17 Colorado 1–4 Nashville Varlamov 17,113 4–3–0 8 Recap 8 October 19 St. Louis 4–3 Colorado Bernier 13,890 4–4–0 8 Recap 9 October 24 Dallas 3–5 Colorado Varlamov 12,823 5–4–0 10 Recap 10 October 27 Colorado 0–7 Vegas Varlamov 17,702 5–5–0 10 Recap 11 October 28 Chicago 3–6 Colorado Bernier 17,360 6–5–0 12 Recap
November: 6–4–2 (Home: 4–1–1 ; Road: 2–3–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 12 November 2 Carolina 3–5 Colorado Varlamov 12,048 7–5–0 14 Recap 13 November 4 Colorado 5–4 Philadelphia SO Varlamov 19,616 8–5–0 16 Recap 14 November 5 Colorado 4–6 NY Islanders Bernier 10,927 8–6–0 16 Recap 15 November 10 Ottawa 4–3 Colorado OT Varlamov 13,396 8–6–1 17 Recap 16 November 11 Colorado 3–4 Ottawa Bernier 13,396 8–7–1 17 Recap 17 November 16 Washington 2–6 Colorado Varlamov 15,070 9–7–1 19 Recap 18 November 18 Colorado 2–5 Nashville Varlamov 17,113 9–8–1 19 Recap 19 November 19 Colorado 4–3 Detroit OT Bernier 19,515 10–8–1 21 Recap 20 November 22 Dallas 0–3 Colorado Bernier 14,874 11–8–1 23 Recap 21 November 24 Colorado 2–3 Minnesota SO Bernier 19,084 11–8–2 24 Recap 22 November 25 Calgary 3–2 Colorado Bernier 15,738 11–9–2 24 Recap 23 November 29 Winnipeg 2–3 Colorado OT Varlamov 13,017 12–9–2 26 Recap
December: 7–7–1 (Home: 4–5–0 ; Road: 3–2–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 24 December 1 New Jersey 2–1 Colorado Varlamov 14,614 12–10–2 26 Recap 25 December 3 Dallas 7–2 Colorado Bernier 13,194 12–11–2 26 Recap 26 December 5 Buffalo 4–2 Colorado Varlamov 13,258 12–12–2 26 Recap 27 December 7 Colorado 2–5 Tampa Bay Varlamov 19,092 12–13–2 26 Recap 28 December 9 Colorado 7–3 Florida Varlamov 13,821 13–13–2 28 Recap 29 December 11 Colorado 2–1 Pittsburgh Bernier 18,411 14–13–2 30 Recap 30 December 12 Colorado 2–5 Washington Varlamov 18,506 14–14–2 30 Recap 31 December 14 Florida 1–2 Colorado Varlamov 13,096 15–14–2 32 Recap 32 December 16 Tampa Bay 6–5 Colorado Bernier 16,956 15–15–2 32 Recap 33 December 18 Pittsburgh 2–4 Colorado Varlamov 15,824 16–15–2 34 Recap 34 December 21 Colorado 1–2 Los Angeles OT Varlamov 18,230 16–15–3 35 Recap 35 December 23 Colorado 6–2 Arizona Varlamov 11,838 17–15–3 37 Recap 36 December 27 Arizona 3–1 Colorado Varlamov 15,671 17–16–3 37 Recap 37 December 29 Toronto 3–4 Colorado OT Varlamov 18,013 18–16–3 39 Recap 38 December 31 NY Islanders 1–6 Colorado Bernier 17,461 19–16–3 41 Recap
January: 8–2–1 (Home: 6–0–0 ; Road: 2–2–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 39 January 2 Winnipeg 2–3 Colorado OT Bernier 13,058 20–16–3 43 Recap 40 January 4 Columbus 0–2 Colorado Bernier 13,763 21–16–3 45 Recap 41 January 6 Minnesota 2–7 Colorado Bernier 18,046 22–16–3 47 Recap 42 January 13 Colorado 4–1 Dallas Bernier 18,532 23–16–3 49 Recap 43 January 15 Anaheim 1–3 Colorado Bernier 16,090 24–16–3 51 Recap 44 January 18 San Jose 3–5 Colorado Bernier 14,349 25–16–3 53 Recap 45 January 20 NY Rangers 1–3 Colorado Bernier 18,056 26–16–3 55 Recap 46 January 22 Colorado 4–2 Toronto Bernier 18,979 27–16–3 57 Recap 47 January 23 Colorado 2–4 Montreal Bernier 21,302 27–17–3 57 Recap 48 January 25 Colorado 1–3 St. Louis Bernier 18,817 27–18–3 57 Recap 49 January 30 Colorado 3–4 Vancouver OT Bernier 18,257 27–18–4 58 Recap
February: 7–6–1 (Home: 4–1–0 ; Road: 3–5–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 50 February 1 Colorado 4–3 Edmonton OT Bernier 18,347 28–18–4 60 Recap 51 February 3 Colorado 0–3 Winnipeg Varlamov 15,321 28–19–4 60 Recap 52 February 6 San Jose 1–3 Colorado Bernier 13,349 29–19–4 62 Recap 53 February 8 Colorado 1–6 St. Louis Bernier 18,951 29–20–4 62 Recap 54 February 10 Colorado 1–3 Carolina Varlamov 15,589 29–21–4 62 Recap 55 February 11 Colorado 5–4 Buffalo Bernier 17,646 30–21–4 64 Recap 56 February 14 Montreal 0–2 Colorado Varlamov 14,928 31–21–4 66 Recap 57 February 16 Colorado 1–6 Winnipeg Bernier 15,321 31–22–4 66 Recap 58 February 18 Edmonton 4–2 Colorado Varlamov 18,076 31–23–4 66 Recap 59 February 20 Colorado 5–4 Vancouver OT Varlamov 18,107 32–23–4 68 Recap 60 February 22 Colorado 2–3 Edmonton OT Varlamov 18,347 32–23–5 69 Recap 61 February 24 Colorado 1–5 Calgary Varlamov 19,201 32–24–5 69 Recap 62 February 26 Vancouver 1–3 Colorado Varlamov 12,654 33–24–5 71 Recap 63 February 28 Calgary 2–5 Colorado Varlamov 12,107 34–24–5 73 Recap
March: 8–4–3 (Home: 5–3–1 ; Road: 3–1–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 64 March 2 Minnesota 1–7 Colorado Varlamov 17,325 35–24–5 75 Recap 65 March 4 Nashville 4–3 Colorado OT Varlamov 17,618 35–24–6 76 Recap 66 March 6 Colorado 1–2 Chicago OT Varlamov 21,508 35–24–7 77 Recap 67 March 8 Colorado 4–5 Columbus OT Varlamov 15,236 35–24–8 78 Recap 68 March 10 Arizona 2–5 Colorado Bernier 17,127 36–24–8 80 Recap 69 March 13 Colorado 5–1 Minnesota Varlamov 19,171 37–24–8 82 Recap 70 March 15 Colorado 4–1 St. Louis Varlamov 18,885 38–24–8 84 Recap 71 March 16 Nashville 4–2 Colorado Varlamov 17,273 38–25–8 84 Recap 72 March 18 Detroit 1–5 Colorado Varlamov 18,032 39–25–8 86 Recap 73 March 20 Colorado 5–1 Chicago Varlamov 21,633 40–25–8 88 Recap 74 March 22 Los Angeles 7–1 Colorado Varlamov 17,071 40–26–8 88 Recap 75 March 24 Vegas 1–2 Colorado SO Varlamov 18,042 41–26–8 90 Recap 76 March 26 Colorado 1–4 Vegas Varlamov 18,326 41–27–8 90 Recap 77 March 28 Philadelphia 2–1 Colorado Hammond 16,320 41–28–8 90 Recap 78 March 30 Chicago 0–5 Colorado Varlamov 17,985 42–28–8 92 Recap
April: 1–2–1 (Home: 1–0–0 ; Road: 0–2–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 79 April 1 Colorado 3–4 Anaheim OT Bernier 17,054 42–28–9 93 Recap 80 April 2 Colorado 1–3 Los Angeles Bernier 18,230 42–29–9 93 Recap 81 April 5 Colorado 2–4 San Jose Bernier 17,497 42–30–9 93 Recap 82 April 7 St. Louis 2–5 Colorado Bernier 18,087 43–30–9 95 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Playoffs

Main article: 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs

2018 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference First Round vs. (C1) Nashville Predators: Nashville won 4–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 12 Colorado 2–5 Nashville Bernier 17,301 0–1 Recap 2 April 14 Colorado 4–5 Nashville Bernier 17,369 0–2 Recap 3 April 16 Nashville 3–5 Colorado Bernier 18,087 1–2 Recap 4 April 18 Nashville 3–2 Colorado Bernier 18,087 1–3 Recap 5 April 20 Colorado 2–1 Nashville Hammond 17,504 2–3 Recap 6 April 22 Nashville 5–0 Colorado Hammond 18,087 2–4 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Final Stats

Skaters

Regular season

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Nathan MacKinnon	74	39	58	97	+11	55
Mikko Rantanen	81	29	55	84	0	34
Gabriel Landeskog	78	25	37	62	+16	37
Tyson Barrie	68	14	43	57	−15	22
Alexander Kerfoot	79	19	24	43	−7	28
Carl Soderberg	77	16	21	37	0	26
Blake Comeau	79	13	21	34	+5	50
Matt Nieto	74	15	11	26	+6	14
Erik Johnson	62	9	16	25	+3	58
J. T. Compher	69	13	10	23	−29	20
Tyson Jost	65	12	10	22	−10	26
Sven Andrighetto	50	8	14	22	−15	10
Nikita Zadorov	77	7	13	20	+4	103
Samuel Girard†	68	3	17	20	−8	6
Colin Wilson	56	6	12	18	−5	6
Nail Yakupov	58	9	7	16	+2	26
Patrik Nemeth	68	3	12	15	+27	41
Mark Barberio	46	3	10	13	+6	31
Gabriel Bourque	58	5	6	11	−6	12
Matt Duchene‡	14	4	6	10	+1	4
David Warsofsky	16	0	5	5	+4	0
Anton Lindholm	48	0	4	4	+4	14
Rocco Grimaldi	6	1	2	3	0	0
Andrei Mironov	10	1	2	3	+2	12
A. J. Greer	16	0	3	3	+2	22
Duncan Siemens	16	1	1	2	−5	23
Dominic Toninato	37	0	2	2	0	12
Chris Bigras‡	15	0	1	1	−2	2
Mark Alt†	7	0	0	0	−1	0
Vladislav Kamenev	3	0	0	0	−2	0

Playoffs

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Gabriel Landeskog	6	4	3	7	−4	6
Nathan MacKinnon	6	3	3	6	−2	4
Tyson Barrie	6	0	4	4	−3	2
Mikko Rantanen	6	0	4	4	−1	0
Nikita Zadorov	6	1	2	3	+1	32
Matt Nieto	6	0	3	3	−1	2
J. T. Compher	6	0	3	3	−2	2
Blake Comeau	6	2	0	2	−3	2
Gabriel Bourque	6	2	0	2	+1	0
Alexander Kerfoot	6	2	0	2	−1	2
Carl Soderberg	6	0	2	2	−3	2
Sven Andrighetto	6	1	0	1	+1	6
Colin Wilson	6	0	1	1	−2	0
Mark Barberio	6	0	1	1	−1	6
Patrik Nemeth	6	0	1	1	−2	4
Tyson Jost	6	0	1	1	−2	0
Duncan Siemens	5	0	0	0	−4	0
David Warsofsky	4	0	0	0	+1	2
Samuel Girard	3	0	0	0	−3	0

Goaltenders

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Andrew Hammond	2	1	58:47	0	1	0	2	2.04	33	.939	0	0	0	0
Semyon Varlamov	51	47	2860:40	24	16	6	128	2.68	1595	.920	2	0	0	0
Jonathan Bernier	37	34	2000:58	19	13	3	95	2.85	1092	.913	2	0	1	0

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	TOI	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Andrew Hammond	3	2	137:29	1	1	6	2.98	90	.933	0	0	0	0
Jonathan Bernier	4	4	217:04	1	3	14	3.51	120	.883	0	0	0	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Avalanche. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
^‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Suspensions/fines

Player	Explanation	Length	Salary	Date issued
Gabriel Landeskog	Cross–check against Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk during NHL Game No. 356 in Colorado on Saturday, November 25, 2017 at 15:18 of the first period.	4 games	$119,815.68	November 27, 2017
Erik Johnson	Boarding against Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vladislav Namestnikov during NHL Game No. 505 in Colorado on Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 16:57 of the second period.	2 games	$64,516.12	December 17, 2017

Transactions

The Avalanche have been involved in the following transactions during the 2017–18 season.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	To Nashville Predators 4th-round pick in 2019	To Colorado Avalanche Colin Wilson
November 5, 2017 (2017-11-05)	To Ottawa Senators Matt Duchene	To Colorado Avalanche Kyle Turris Shane Bowers Andrew Hammond conditional 1st-round pick in 2018 or 2019 3rd-round pick in 2019
November 5, 2017 (2017-11-05)	To Nashville Predators Kyle Turris	To Colorado Avalanche Samuel Girard Vladislav Kamenev 2nd-round pick in 2018
February 26, 2018 (2018-02-26)	To New York Rangers Chris Bigras	To Colorado Avalanche Ryan Graves

Free agents acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Andrew Agozzino	St. Louis Blues	2-year, $1.3 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Jonathan Bernier	Anaheim Ducks	1-year, $2.75 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	David Warsofsky	Pittsburgh Penguins	2-year, $1.35 million
July 4, 2017 (2017-07-04)	Nail Yakupov	St. Louis Blues	1-year, $875,000
July 26, 2017 (2017-07-26)	Jesse Graham	New York Islanders	1-year, $650,000
August 16, 2017 (2017-08-16)	Dominic Toninato	Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract
August 23, 2017 (2017-08-23)	Alexander Kerfoot	Harvard Crimson	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract
October 2, 2017 (2017-10-02)	Ty Lewis	Brandon Wheat Kings	3-year, $2.2 million entry-level contract
April 5, 2018 (2018-04-05)	Josh Dickinson	Clarkson Golden Knights	3-year, $3.4125 million entry-level contract
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)	Pavel Francouz	Traktor Chelyabinsk	1-year, $690,000

Free agents lost

Date	Player	New team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Turner Elson	Detroit Red Wings	1-year, $650,000
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Mike Sislo	Arizona Coyotes	1-year, $650,000
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Jeremy Smith	Carolina Hurricanes	1-year, $750,000
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Patrick Wiercioch	Vancouver Canucks	1-year, $650,000
July 7, 2017 (2017-07-07)	Mikhail Grigorenko	CSKA Moscow	3-year
August 1, 2017 (2017-08-01)	Brendan Ranford	San Antonio Rampage	Unknown
August 4, 2017 (2017-08-04)	Mat Clark	HC Bolzano	1-year
August 21, 2017 (2017-08-21)	Francois Beauchemin	Anaheim Ducks	1-year, $1 million
August 29, 2017 (2017-08-29)	Rene Bourque	Djurgårdens IF	1-year
October 1, 2017 (2017-10-01)	Eric Gelinas	Laval Rocket	1-year
October 7, 2017 (2017-10-07)	Cody Goloubef	Stockton Heat	Unknown
March 17, 2018 (2018-03-17)	Andrei Mironov	Dynamo Moscow	3-year

Claimed via waivers

Player	New team	Date	Ref
Patrik Nemeth	Dallas Stars	October 3, 2017 (2017-10-03)
Mark Alt	Philadelphia Flyers	February 26, 2018 (2018-02-26)

Lost via waivers

Player	New team	Date	Ref

Players released

Date	Player	Via	Ref
March 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)	Andrei Mironov	Contract termination

Lost via retirement

Date	Player	Ref

Player signings

Date	Player	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
June 28, 2017 (2017-06-28)	Sven Andrighetto	2-year, $2.8 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Joe Cannata	1-year, $650,000
July 18, 2017 (2017-07-18)	Gabriel Bourque	1-year, $750,000
July 18, 2017 (2017-07-18)	Felix Girard	1-year, $650,000
July 18, 2017 (2017-07-18)	Duncan Siemens	1-year, $750,000
July 25, 2017 (2017-07-25)	Matt Nieto	1-year, $1 million
July 26, 2017 (2017-07-26)	Rocco Grimaldi	1-year, $650,000
September 15, 2017 (2017-09-15)	Nikita Zadorov	2-year, $4.3 million
March 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)	Conor Timmins	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract
March 29, 2018 (2018-03-29)	Josh Anderson	3-year, $2.45 million entry-level contract
March 29, 2018 (2018-03-29)	Travis Barron	3-year, $2.225 entry-level contract
May 8, 2018 (2018-05-08)	Igor Shvyrev	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract
May 10, 2018 (2018-05-10)	Mark Alt	2-year, $1.45 million contract extension
May 15, 2018 (2018-05-15)	Mark Barberio	2-year, $2.9 million contract extension
May 25, 2018 (2018-05-25)	Gabriel Bourque	1-year, $950,000 contract extension

Draft picks

See also: List of Colorado Avalanche draft picks

Below are the Colorado Avalanche's selections at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago.

Round	#	Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	4	Cale Makar	D	Canada	Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
2	32	Conor Timmins	D	Canada	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
4	94	Nick Henry	RW	Canada	Regina Pats (WHL)
4	1141	Petr Kvaca	G	Czech Republic	HC České Budějovice (Czech 1.liga)
5	125	Igor Shvyrev	C	Russia	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)
6	156	Denis Smirnov	LW	Russia	Pennsylvania State University (B1G)
7	187	Nicky Leivermann	D	United States	Eden Prairie High (USHS)

Draft notes

1. The New York Rangers' fourth-round pick went to the Colorado Avalanche as the result of a trade on June 25, 2016 that sent Nick Holden to New York in exchange for this pick.

References