Morning Flurries: Avalanche Flying High

Can you believe that the Colorado Avalanche can’t stop winning?

Believe it, my friends.

With a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on MLK Day, the Avalanche now have an impressive seven game win streak - on the back of resurgent backup Jonathan Bernier, nonetheless.

It’s been a tumultuous last few years for Bernier, and the Avalanche have to be frustrated that he’s been thrust into a long-term starter role due to yet another injury to franchise netminder Semyon Varlamov.

But given how well he’s been playing as of late, there’s little to be upset about. It’s a whole new side to Jonathan Bernier, one that fans haven’t seen since Toronto sucked the life and soul from his body. [Mile High Hockey]

Speaking of people playing well - it’s become common knowledge that Mikko Rantanen is a star. At least, around Denver, that is.

We’re waiting for the rest of the league to catch up to the hype. But for now, it’s great news that the Avalanche are still getting such great play from the forward - especially with Nathan MacKinnon also impressing on the daily. [MHH]

Speaking of MacKinnon... here’s a great look at his ascent to NHL stardom through the last few seasons with the Avalanche. [Denver Post]

Now, for around the league:

First, let’s talk fancy stats. They’re a lot of fun to play around with, but are some of them not quite as useful as we’d hope? A look at how that relates to women’s hockey. [The Ice Garden]

Do you like seeing the Bruins get embarrassed by their own former star prospect?

I don’t, but also, nothing like a good failed pad stack to get the blood boiling!

When you can figure out what happened here, other than God hitting all the buttons on NHL 18 to cause the Bruins to drop like flies, let me know.

Out west, here’s a look at whether or not the Los Angeles Kings are actually back in business. [Jewels From The Crown]

Oh yeah... and there’s one more year for Deryk Engelland with the Vegas Golden Knights, apparently. shrugs [Knights on Ice]

Finally, here are some historic similarity scores for the Tampa Bay Lightning, letting you compare current players with ones you may have seen on the ice years back. [Raw Charge]