So this current edition of the Colorado Avalanche -- which has gone from second worst in the league to challenging for the best record in the Western Conference and is a win away from matching the all-time franchise single-season record -- is easily the most improved team in franchise history, right?
Not so fast.
In fact, make that a "possibly."
Going by the percentage of available points earned -- the only true measure to compare seasons given the scoring changes (remember tie games?) and strike-shortened campaigns -- the 2013-14 Avs have improved .284 percentage points so far, going from .406 last season to .690 this season with three games remaining.
That still ranks behind the 1992-93 Quebec Nordiques, who improved .294 percentage points, going from .325 in their 20-win full season of 1991-92 to .619 the ensuing year.
Now here's where the "possibly" comes in.
If the Avs win their remaining three games this season, they'll finish with 115 points and a points percentage of .701 -- a .295 improvement from last season. That would top the 1992-93 squad by a fraction.
Still, nothing short of three victories will put the current Avs over the top. Even two wins and an overtime loss would leave them .006 short of the '92-'93 squad.
By the way, those '92-'93 Nordiques, who featured a fifth-year center named Joe Sakic, finished second in the Adams Division, but were upended in its opening playoff series -- the division semifinals -- by the third-place and eventual Stanley Cup-champion Montreal Canadiens and some hotshot goalie named Roy.
Whatever happened to that guy anyway?
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