Nathan MacKinnon Helps Avalanche Chase ninth straight top spot — Stanley Cup Playoffs 2026

The Colorado Avalanche are heading into stanley cup playoffs 2026 at the top of the standings for the ninth consecutive season. That run gives them the longest active playoff streak in the NHL and leaves them one season away from matching the franchise’s longest all-time stretch.

Nathan MacKinnon and Colorado

Nathan MacKinnon has been described as this season’s Rocket Richard winner, a fitting marker for a team that sat at the top of the league all season. Colorado is still chasing its fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history, and its second in five years.

The steadiness has come with a different feel around the club this year. Colorado kicked off the season with a new walkout song, skates out to a remix of Gangster's Paradise every home game, and has used Taylor Swift's “The Fate of Ophelia” as the postwin soundtrack in the locker room.

Longest active NHL streak

The broader record is what makes this run hard to miss. The Avalanche’s stretch from 1995 to 2005 remains the organization’s longest all-time streak of playoff berths, and this group is now one season from tying it.

That puts Colorado in a narrow window: it already owns the NHL’s longest active playoff streak, and the ninth straight top-of-the-standings finish keeps that line moving forward without a break. The franchise has paired the consistency with a title chase that now reaches into multiple seasons, not just one spring.

Avalanche chase more history

For the Avalanche, the immediate story is simple. They are in position to keep adding to a streak that has defined the organization’s recent era, while the same roster keeps pressing toward a fourth championship. The next step is another playoff run built on the same standard that has kept them on top for nine straight seasons.