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As Arsenal meander to another finish outside the top four of the Premier League and majority shareholder Stan Kroenke is accused of further apathy towards the club, there is a beacon of hope for Gunners fans from across the Atlantic.

It comes in the form of the Colorado Avalanche: the NHL team based in Denver who have completed the most incredible sporting turnaround of the last year.

While comparisons should not be readily drawn between two organisations in vastly different pools, there are a number of unavoidable similarities from the Avalanche of 12 months ago and the present day Arsenal.

Namely an under-fire coach, a core group of under-performing senior players and widespread scepticism towards Kroenke.

The Avalanche finished dead last in the NHL in 2016-17, fully 21 points behind the 29th-placed Vancouver Canucks.

It marked the third successive season without a playoff campaign but the cold, hard facts were much more damning: the lowest points tally in club history, the fewest number of wins and the laughing stock of hockey.

(Image: USA TODAY Sports) (Image: USA TODAY Sports)

Changes to the playing staff followed; the club became younger - the youngest in the NHL - faster and, crucially, hungrier.

But they were still tipped to struggle with many pitting them against expansion franchise Vegas Golden Knights in a bid to avoid successive wooden spoons (incidentally, Vegas have shocked everyone to top their division).

Star turn Nathan MacKinnon, a No.1 draft pick in 2013, returned just 53 points (goals and assists) across the 82 games of last season.

He was asked in a television segment at the start of the new campaign what the Avalanche's goal was for the coming year. His response?

"We want to make the playoffs."

The Canadian's claims were understandably laughed off by figures within the sport given the preceding 12 months.

(Image: USA TODAY Sports)

But, after an indifferent start, he started rolling, and so did the Avs.

A mid-season, 10-game win streak was the catalyst for the club to mount a sustained playoff challenge, fuelled by MacKinnon's point output, which improved from 53 to 97, including 39 goals, despite missing eight games through injury.

It has catapulted him into genuine contention for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player.

Ultimately, it came down to the final regular season game of the campaign at home against the St Louis Blues, who occupied the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, a point ahead of the Avalanche.

In a winner-take-all clash, the hosts came up trumps with a 5-2 victory, tying the club record for wins on home ice over the course of the regular season, and one of the most staggering year-to-year turnarounds in NHL history.

Their 47-point improvement was the highest since 2006-07 and the fourth-best ever.

Now, Colorado face Nashville in the first round of the Stanley Cup in a seven-game series, and they will again be written off.

(Image: USA TODAY Sports)

The Predators finished top of the NHL after the regular season, ending with 117 points, three clear of nearest rivals Winnipeg Jets.

But the Avalanche are thrilled to even be in with a chance of a third Stanley Cup in their history and will be buoyed by hope following a season which has changed the atmosphere of the Kroenke-owned club.

Arsenal have a lot of work to do over the summer to follow suit.

The feeling around the Emirates now is similar to that of the Pepsi Center a year ago, but with a freshening up of playing staff and an owner investing a touch more time and effort into transferring commercial clout off the field into success on it, the Avs have shown it can improve drastic amounts.

Stanley Cup playoffs - first round

Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils

Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference

Nashville Predators vs Colorado Avalanche

Winnipeg Jets vs Minnesota Wild

Vegas Golden Knights vs LA Kings

Anaheim Ducks vs San Jose Sharks