Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes has long been the driving force of this team's offense.

There was no clear Stanley Cup favorite on Opening Night. Instead, the oddsmakers installed a cohort of teams — the Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Tampa Bay Lightning — at the top of the board.

It’s a pretty simple argument to make, but the Colorado Avalanche is the best team in the NHL right now.

The Colorado Avalanche (9-1-5, first in the Western Conference) visit the Vancouver Canucks (8-8, 11th) in conference action on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET. Colorado claimed a 9-1 road victory over the Edmonton Oilers in its last game on Nov. 8.

BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche seek to extend a three-game win streak with a victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Colorado has a 4-0-2 record in home games and a 10-1-5 record overall. The Avalanche lead the league with 64 total goals (averaging 4.0 per game).

The Edmonton Oilers are searching for answers after a 9-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. The defeat marked their third straight loss and dropped their record to 6-6-4. It has been a tough stretch for a team that made two straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, but has stumbled badly to start this season.

Olofsson gave the Avalanche a 3-0 with his first goal of the season and first tally as an Avs player via a right-circle wrist shot at 2:31 of the second period. Jack Ahcan picked up his first-career NHL assist with the primary helper on the goal.

The NHL season is quickly approaching the holiday season, a period where the playoff picture begins to take shape. Teams have all played at least 15 games, mark

The Colorado Avalanche have been linked to a potential blockbuster trade that would see them reunite with a Stanley Cup champion.