The Colorado Avalanche easily features the Calgary Flames in the first round

The Colorado Avalanche spent two months in the middle of the season as the worst team in the NHL. They had only five wins in 27 games in December and January. This is now the first Western Conference team to advance to the second round after eliminating the Calgary Flames in just five games.

Many people are surprised that the Avalanche was able to beat Calgary, but what is most shocking is the ease with which they did it – and the way they did it. If you had told anyone before the start of the series that Colorado would evolve, most would have assumed it was Mike Smith who had cost the series to his team. The veteran goalie was among the worst in the league during the regular season. He proved that skeptics were not wrong with a very impressive performance in the playoffs. Unfortunately, it was not enough to win the series. Led by the stars of the team, the Avalanche dominated Calgary from the second game. Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen were the offensive catalysts while the big-3 was combined for nine of the team's 17 goals in the next five games.

Whether they play together or that Rantanen is on the second line with Carl Soderberg, it's the Avalanche stars that were the main reason why Colorado managed to achieve an impressive 56% shots of equal strength on the series. What is most impressive is that they managed to do it against Calgary's 3M line – a combination that is often considered one of the best 3-zone lines in the league.

Colorado's top strikers did the same, but the team was able to completely shut down the deadliest lines in the NHL. No team has scored more goals than the 289 registered by the Flames this season. The trio of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk combined 107 goals in the regular season. They could only score four times in five games.

This is largely due to the fact that Philipp Grubauer has been the best goalie so far in the playoffs. Which is not surprising given that he was the best goaltender in the last month of the regular season.

The Avalanche won possession and shot on goal in games 2 through 5, but Grubauer was there when needed. He made the big stop when it was necessary and allowed the Avalanche to take the necessary risks to beat the Flames.

The Grubauer game is helped by a Colorado defense group that is terribly underrated in the league. Veteran players Erik Johnson and Ian Cole gave avs the kind of tough game you need to succeed in the playoffs. After a stormy regular season, Ian Cole seemed to be a new man in the playoffs since he helped prove to old school that some players "know how to win" in the playoffs. The two players did not play together for large parts of the game at equal strength, but if there was a defensive confrontation in this series, you can count on Johnson and Cole for the Avalanche.

Cole managed to stand out once Samuel Girard left the series with an injury, but that's Tyson Barrie who had the biggest impact. Tyson Barrie has been a man on a mission over the past six weeks and if it was not Nathan MacKinnon's Hart Trophy performance, he would be the team's most valuable player. He dominated almost all shifts in this series – not just the offensive, he was almost perfect in all three zones.

Then there is Cale Makar. The 20-year-old rookie went from Hobey Baker to the national championship finalist to look like a legitimate star in the NHL playoffs. He has played only three professional hockey games, but Makar already seems almost unstoppable. The Sportsnet panel compared him to Rob Blake during the intermission on Friday night and it's hard to argue with this analogy. It has an impact in all three zones and has the kind of easy game that is only available to superstar players. It has not happened yet, but it's easy to see that the sky is the limit for the young defender.

Coach Bednar gives Makar many zone offensives, so he's protected to some degree, which is predictable. He managed to take every challenge with flying colors and it is clear that the coaching staff is gaining confidence as Makar is on the ice for a big showdown in the overtime defense zone of the fourth game. We all knew he was good, but it's unlikely that anyone would think him that hard, so fast.

The closing of the Friday night series in Calgary could be a significant benefit for the coming years. The team is now able to go home and rest while waiting for the winner of the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights series. The free time will give Derick Brassard the time to conquer his illness, but most of all, he will give Sam Girard time to recover from the upper body injury he suffered in overtime in the second game.

The first game of the second round will not start until Wednesday or Thursday of next week, which will give the team nearly a full week of rest, recovery and self-training with the new star rookie.

Most hockey players eliminated this team in February, they are now the most popular team in the NHL. The Avalanche plays with the money from home from now on. They went further than even many of their fans would have imagined and now have every reason to believe that they can continue to win in these playoffs, regardless of their opponent.