The calendar has flipped from 2025 to 2026, and the St. Louis Blues were just embarrassed on New Year's Eve by the greatest show on ice, the Colorado Avalanche. The 6-1 bludgeoning was a kind reminder that this team is still years away from being a year-in and year-out contender.
One thing happened in the game that perfectly sums up the difference between the leading team in the Central Division, and the National Hockey League for that matter, and the bottom of the barrel. Nathan MacKinnon hit a points plateau that will not even be sniffed by the Blues' top scorers.
Let's talk about it.
70 Points in 39 games
MacKinnon, who had two goals and two assists for four points in the routing, eclipsed the 70-point mark in 39 games. That is an incredible feat in itself, and one that should be regarded as an impeccable achievement.
You can see a growing trend for most of the Stanley Cup-contending teams having elite talent. The Avalanche are on this incredible start to their season due to the play from MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas, and Artturi Lehkonen. Each of those players has a very good chance of hitting high stat markers, which in turn will catapult the Avs into the late stages of the postseason.
Furthermore, that 70-point mark that no one on this Blues team will reach at the end of this season.
Nobody on the Blues will touch it
Right now, Robert Thomas is the leading scorer for the Blues with 29 points. Followed by Pavel Buchnevich and Justin Faulk at 21 and 20 points, respectively. As we are approaching the mid-way point, you can basically just double those point totals to give those three players what they are on pace for.
That puts the leading scorer at 58 points on the year, which is nowhere close to 70. That is an astounding stat, and a direct representation in the difference in firepower between the Blues and the Avalanche.