On their ascent to hockey’s pinnacle last season, the Colorado Avalanche broke their opponents’ will by playing at an unmatched, hyperspeed pace. The defending champions often create the optical illusion of making their adversaries appear like they’re playing in quicksand.
The Avalanche did just that to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ usually-potent offensive attack on Wednesday, as Colorado came away with a 2-1 shootout win at Scotiabank Arena.
Mainly because of Colorado's team-wide skating ability and a stingy effort in the defensive end, the Maple Leafs were unable to generate any real meaningful offense — with Auston Matthews and a stellar performance from Morgan Rielly as the obvious exceptions.