The Colorado Avalanche (46-24-6) are the sixth team from the Western Conference to have qualified for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Avalanche booked their playoff berth after securing a 4-3 OT win over the San Jose Sharks (22-39-16) on Tuesday.
The reigning Stanley Cup champions will enter the 2023 playoffs for the 28th time in their franchise history.
'Avs' fans were ecstatic with their team's performance and flooded Twitter with praise and congratulations. One said:
"Beware when they are healthy"
Here are some of the top reactions from Avalanche fans:
The Colorado Avalanche have been to the Stanley Cup finals three times. They dethroned the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 to claim the third title in their franchise history. The Avalanche are among the hot favorites to lift the coveted cup from the Western Conference this season.
Nathan MacKinnon's OT winner helped the Colorado Avalanche secure a playoff berth
The Colorado Avalanche traveled to the SAP Center to face the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
Jack Johnson put the visitors in the lead after scoring from a slap shot 4:29 minutes into the first period. Less than two minutes later, Evan Rodrigues scored the second goal for the team with a backhand to put the team 2-0 up before heading into the second period.
Kevin Labanc scored the first goal for the Sharks with a snapshot 12:55 minutes into the second period. Nathan MacKinnon put the Avalanche 3-1 ahead before the game moved into the third period.
In the third period, Jacob Peterson and Kevin Labanc each scored two goals to tie the game at 3-3. The game then went into overtime, where MacKinnon scored the game-winning goal at 3:13. This brought his season total to 100 points and helped the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 victory. Nathan MacKinnon had three points while Mikko Rantanen and Devon Toews each had a two-point contribution in the win.
After achieving the 100-point milestone in his career, Nathan MacKinnon spoke to the media and said (via NHL.com):
"Tons of amazing players on this team helped me a ton. Obviously, I don't need to say the names, but everyone has helped me a lot throughout the season. So, it's fun to get it, for sure."
The Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks will once again meet for the last time this season on Thursday, April 6.