When MacKinnon is locked in during a late-season push the Avalanche feel like a different category of team. That's not hyperbole - you watch the way he reads plays before they develop and draws defenders out of position and the entire Colorado system gets faster and sharper. The question this year has been whether the pieces around him are healthy enough to actually go all the way. Cale Makar has been doing Cale Makar things on the blue line and the combination of those two sets a ceiling that most rosters can't match.

Mikko Rantanen's linemate production has been the thing fans keep arguing about. When that line is clicking the Avs are genuinely hard to contain. The goaltending has had some wobble that the fanbase has been less than thrilled about - Alexandar Georgiev's consistency has been a topic in Colorado all year, and whether the playoffs expose that remains to be seen. The injuries this team absorbs and continues competing through every year have become almost expected at this point.

Ball Arena in a playoff push is one of the better crowds in the Western Conference. Tickets to a late home game are worth every dollar if you want to see what this roster looks like when the desperation is real. Colorado knows how to win. They've done it before. The question right now is health and depth and whether the goaltending can hold. Those are real uncertainties. The talent has never been the problem.