News Avalanche Team Notes

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars (7:00 p.m. MT)

After their home opener on Thursday night, which saw the Colorado Avalanche take on the Utah Mammoth, the Avs remain perfect on the season, as they defeated Utah by a final score of 2-1. Tonight, they take on a team that they’ve gotten, for better or for worse, all too familiar with in the past couple of seasons, as the Dallas Stars come to Denver for a divisional matchup. This will be the first regular season game between these two teams.

Colorado Avalanche: 2-0-0​

The Opponent: Dallas Stars (1-0-0)

Time: 7:00 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude Sports, KTVD-TV (My20), Victory+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

Up till this point, the Avs have looked pretty darn good in the two games that they’ve played against the LA Kings and the Utah Mammoth. Everything’s just been clicking for Colorado in these two games so far. Your superstars have done superstar things of course, with Cale Makar walking a Kings defener at the blueline on opening night, and Nathan MacKinnon having the game-winning goal for the Avs against the Mammoth in the home opener. On top of that, however, you’ve gotten some pretty solid depth production as well, with your third line scoring an absoltuely gorgeous goal to get Colorado on the scoreboard first on this past Thursday night.

And then there’s the elephant in the room, in the best way possible, which is Scott Wedgewood. The general thought going into him starting for Colorado in the absense of Mackenzie Blackwood was tht he’d certainly be able to hold his own and give the Avs a chance to win games. That being said, I don’t think anyone really anticipated him playing at such a high level through these two games. He’s been able to bail Colorado out at just about every turn in these two games, with his only two allowed goals coming on the powerplay, I just don’t know how you can’t be happy with his performance. While you’d obviously like the Avs to play and score at such a level that they don’t need Wedgewood bailing them out at every turn, it definitely feels good to have such high confidence in your goaltender, if and when breakdowns inevitably happen at one point or another. Colorado will certainly need Wedgewood to perform well again tonight against an insanely talented, and deep, Dallas Stars team.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabe Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Viktor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Gavin Brindley

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Sam Girard — Josh Manson
Sam Malinski — Brent Burns

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Dallas Stars​

Dallas comes into this game off of a 5-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets, which saw the Stars have a 5-1 lead over the Jets with about 10 minutes left in regularion, before the Jets would score three unanswered goals to pull within one. As mentioned earlier, this Dallas team is one that Colorado has become all too familiar with over the past couple of seasons, as this is the team that has eliminated Colorado in the playoffs the past two seasons.

If you’re Colorado, it might be encouraging that Winnipeg was able to make a comeback bid late in the third period during this game, and ultimately pull within one goal. And while that optimism might be founded, make no mistake, this is not a team that you want to play from behind against, under any circumstances. Dallas is very much a legitemate Stanley Cup contendor this season, as they have been the last few seasons, and they can definitely play effective “bend don’t break” hockey, which is what they did against Winnipeg to seal the win. This is also a team who is very well balanced across all four lines and all three defensive pairings, and the Avs will need their depth to make plays like they did against Utah to keep up with the Stars. They have a very good starting goaltender in Jake Oettinger as well, hence the mention of Wedgewood needing to keep up his current level of play. This is a team that is overall very well balanced, and that has no insane weakesses on their roster. This will be a very tough litmus test early in the season for the Avalanche. Hopefully, they’re up for the task.

Projected Lineup​

Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Mikko Rantanen
Wyatt Johnston – Matt Duchene – Tyler Seguin
Mavrik Bourque – Sam Steel – Colin Blackwell
Justin Hryckowian – Radek Faksa – Nathan Bastian

Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley – Nils Lundkvist
Lian Bichsel – Ilya Lyubushkin

Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith

Follow along in the comments below!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/open...colorado-avalanche-vs-dallas-stars-700-p-m-mt

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Rantanen Haunts Former Team in 5–4 Shootout Thriller

DENVER — Marty Nečas and Nathan MacKinnon each registered three-point performances, but even their offensive brilliance couldn’t exorcise Colorado’s lingering nemesis.

The Dallas Stars once again proved to be the Avalanche’s stumbling block. Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson scored shootout goals, Jake Oettinger stoned MacKinnon on Colorado’s final shot, and the Stars fended off the Avalanche for a 5-4 victory Saturday night at Ball Arena.

Jake Oettinger was superb between the pipes, turning aside 35 shots through regulation and overtime and adding two more stops in the shootout to backstop Dallas to victory. His performance spoiled a milestone evening for veteran defenseman Brent Burns, who became just the eighth defenseman in NHL history to appear in 1,500 games, while also extending his ironman streak to 928 consecutive games—the longest active run in the league and the fourth-longest in NHL history. Burns also notched his first point in an Avalanche sweater during the game.

Thomas Harley led the way offensively for Dallas with a goal and an assist, while Nathan Bastian and Robertson struck 3:03 apart in the second period to erase Colorado’s early lead and give the Stars a 3–2 advantage.

Rantanen, who famously buried a third-period hat trick to eliminate his former team in Game 7 of last spring’s first round playoff series, once again proved to be some form of kryptonite. The Finnish winger scored the game-winning goal in the shootout to hand Dallas yet another victory over Colorado.

Scott Wedgewood had an up-and-down night, but finished with 18 saves and added one save in the shootout for the Avalanche.

First Period

Colorado finally started a game with some jump and controlled the puck early. Eight minutes into the contest, Valeri Nichushkin streaked down the right wing and snapped a wrist shot that rang cleanly off the post, a sharp warning of Colorado’s early intent. Moments later, Dallas defenseman Lian Bichsel was whistled for hooking Brock Nelson, sending the Avalanche to the game’s first power play.

Although the Avs were unable to break through on the man advantage, they generated a flurry of quality chances, repeatedly testing Oettinger but failing to solve him.

Shortly after the Stars killed the penalty, Josh Manson was assessed a high-sticking minor against Wyatt Johnston. A closer look at the replay revealed Manson had aimed to finish a check on Johnston’s shoulder but misjudged as Johnston juked at the last moment, resulting in incidental contact. Colorado’s penalty killers held firm, and the momentum swung back moments later when Harley was sent off for cross-checking Marty Nečas.

Once again, Colorado’s power play buzzed but couldn’t finish. Nelson made a diving effort to keep the puck alive, MacKinnon unleashed a one-timer from the left circle that Oettinger denied with his blocker, and another MacKinnon attempt from the backdoor slipped through Oettinger’s legs only to ping off the post. Cale Makar’s one-timer was also deflected just wide.

Dallas struck first late in the period when Harley one-timed a pass from Rantanen past an outstretched Wedgewood, giving the Stars a 1–0 lead heading into the intermission.

Second Period

The middle frame began with immediate drama. Just ten seconds in, Rantanen was penalized for high-sticking Makar in the face, prompting a brief but heated exchange between former teammates Rantanen and MacKinnon.

Colorado finally capitalized on the ensuing power play. MacKinnon threaded a cross-ice feed to Nečas, who wired a wrist shot top shelf from the right doorstep over a sprawling Oettinger to tie the game 1–1.

Tempers flared shortly afterward when Ross Colton leveled Miro Heiskanen with a heavy check, drawing a response from Justin Hryckowian. The two dropped the gloves, and Colton landed a pair of uppercuts before both tumbled to the ice.

Midway through the period, Gavin Brindley notched his first NHL goal, cashing in on a loose puck in the crease and jamming it past Oettinger to give Colorado a 2–1 lead. It was a great moment for the 21-year-old but he still only saw just over six minutes of time on ice despite scoring a big goal.

Congrats to Gavin Brindley! #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/25E2MrPPdX

— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) October 12, 2025

With 8:45 remaining in the frame, Makar was sent off for tripping Robertson while attempting a poke check, clipping his skates instead. The Stars made the Avalanche pay late in the period. With 1:35 left, Robertson expertly redirected Harley’s point shot past Wedgewood to give Dallas a 3-2 lead entering the third period.

Third Period

Colorado wasted no time equalizing. Just 34 seconds into the final frame, MacKinnon drove the puck deep into the zone and found Artturi Lehkonen, who muscled past Bastian in front of the net for a tap in from the left doorstep to make it a 3-3 game.

Dallas responded swiftly. A mere 1:24 later, Wyatt Johnston broke free on a breakaway, deftly moving from backhand to forehand before sliding the puck past Wedgewood’s outstretched left pad to put the Stars back on top, 4–3.

Colorado then sustained a heavy offensive push, and Ilya Lyubushkin clipped Joel Kiviranta in the face with his stick, drawing blood and earning a four-minute double minor. On the extended power play, the Avalanche finally broke through just before it expired. Nečas set up MacKinnon at the left circle, and the superstar hammered home a one-timer to tie the game at 4–4.

With just over three minutes remaining, Jack Drury nearly gave Colorado the lead, but Oettinger flashed the leather for a spectacular glove save—one that will make every highlight reel. Moments later, Makar found Nečas on the doorstep, but once again Oettinger stymied him with another world-class stop.

Neither side could find a winner through regulation or overtime, sending the game to a shootout.

Shootout

Robertson scored on the first shot for the Stars and Nichushkin kept the Avalanche alive when he beat Oettinger on a backhander. But Colorado’s old friend, Agent 006 Mikko Rantanen showed up to haunt the Avalanche again and scored the game-winner. Dallas improves to 2-0 on the season, while Colorado slips, technically, to 2-0-1, but the extra point means the Avs are still ahead of the Stars in the Central Division.

Takeaways

From the perspective of a hockey lover, this is what every fan asks for in a rivalry game. Close, competitive, and a lot of changes in momentum.

However, from an analytical standpoint, Colorado had an issue with turnovers in stretches during this game and defensive lapses in coverage. And ultimately that’s what cost them the game. Whether it was Bastian sneaking through to the backdoor, giving up the puck, allowing Harley an open lane to fire in the first goal of the game. That sequence was nearly identical to the play that sent the Stars to the Western Conference Final last season, and Harley also scored the series-clinching goal then against the Winnipeg Jets.

But don’t take this too seriously. This was a good game, but they have some work to do, and that’s what practices are for. Tremendous effort and onto the next one.

What’s Next?

The Avalanche get the day off before facing Bowen Byram and the Buffalo Sabres on Monday morning at KeyBank Center. Puck drop is at 10:30 am MT. Be sure to read that properly. It’s a day game.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...n-haunts-former-team-in-5-4-shootout-thriller

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Colorado looks to stay perfect in a Central Division showdown

After their home opener on Thursday night, which saw the Colorado Avalanche take on the Utah Mammoth, the Avs remain perfect on the season, as they defeated Utah by a final score of 2-1. Tonight, they face a team that they’ve gotten, for better or for worse, all too familiar with in the past couple of seasons, as the Dallas Stars come to Denver for a divisional matchup. This will be the first regular season game between these two teams.

Colorado Avalanche: 2-0-0​

The Opponent: Dallas Stars (1-0-0)

Time: 7:00 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude Sports, KTVD-TV (My20), Victory+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

Up until this point, the Avs have looked pretty darn good in the two games that they’ve played against the LA Kings and the Utah Mammoth. Everything’s just been clicking for Colorado in these two games so far. Your superstars have done superstar things of course, with Cale Makar walking a Kings defender at the blueline on opening night, and Nathan MacKinnon having the game-winning goal for the Avs against the Mammoth in the home opener. On top of that, however, you’ve gotten some pretty solid depth production as well, with your third line scoring an absoltuely gorgeous goal to get Colorado on the scoreboard first on this past Thursday night.

And then there’s the elephant in the room, in the best way possible, which is Scott Wedgewood. The general thought going into him starting for Colorado in the absense of Mackenzie Blackwood was tht he’d certainly be able to hold his own and give the Avs a chance to win games. That being said, I don’t think anyone really anticipated him playing at such a high level through these two games. He’s been able to bail Colorado out at just about every turn in these two games, with his only two allowed goals coming on the powerplay, I just don’t know how you can’t be happy with his performance. While you’d obviously like the Avs to play and score at such a level that they don’t need Wedgewood bailing them out at every turn, it definitely feels good to have such high confidence in your goaltender, if and when breakdowns inevitably happen at one point or another. Colorado will certainly need Wedgewood to perform well again tonight against an insanely talented, and deep, Dallas Stars team.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabe Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Viktor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Gavin Brindley

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Sam Girard — Josh Manson
Sam Malinski — Brent Burns

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Dallas Stars​

Dallas comes into this game off of a 5-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets, which saw the Stars have a 5-1 lead over the Jets with about 10 minutes left in regularion, before the Jets would score three unanswered goals to pull within one. As mentioned earlier, this Dallas team is one that Colorado has become all too familiar with over the past couple of seasons, as this is the team that has eliminated Colorado in the playoffs the past two seasons.

If you’re Colorado, it might be encouraging that Winnipeg was able to make a comeback bid late in the third period during this game, and ultimately pull within one goal. And while that optimism might be founded, make no mistake, this is not a team that you want to play from behind against, under any circumstances. Dallas is very much a legitemate Stanley Cup contendor this season, as they have been the last few seasons, and they can definitely play effective “bend don’t break” hockey, which is what they did against Winnipeg to seal the win. This is also a team who is very well balanced across all four lines and all three defensive pairings, and the Avs will need their depth to make plays like they did against Utah to keep up with the Stars. They have a very good starting goaltender in Jake Oettinger as well, hence the mention of Wedgewood needing to keep up his current level of play. This is a team that is overall very well balanced, and that has no insane weakesses on their roster. This will be a very tough litmus test early in the season for the Avalanche. Hopefully, they’re up for the task.

Projected Lineup​

Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Mikko Rantanen
Wyatt Johnston – Matt Duchene – Tyler Seguin
Mavrik Bourque – Sam Steel – Colin Blackwell
Justin Hryckowian – Radek Faksa – Nathan Bastian

Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley – Nils Lundkvist
Lian Bichsel – Ilya Lyubushkin

Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...o-stay-perfect-in-a-central-division-showdown

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

How to make sure Mile High Hockey shows up in your Google search

As many of you are likely aware, Google searches are … different these days.

The good news is Google is offering a solution for folks who like to get their news from specific sources. If you want to help Mile High Hockey — while also streamlining all your Google searches — there is now a way.

Simply click on this link and add Mile High Hockey as one of your “Source preferences.” That’s all there is to it!

Back in August, the tech giant debuted a feature called “Preferred Sources.” It’s a way for Google to prominently feature the results from websites you trust, like Mile High Hockey:

“With the launch of Preferred Sources in the U.S. and India, you can select your favorite sources and stay up to date on the latest content from the sites you follow and subscribe to — whether that’s your favorite sports blog or a local news outlet. …

“When you select your preferred sources, you’ll start to see more of their articles prominently displayed within Top Stories, when those sources have published fresh and relevant content for your search.”

As some of you might know, AI searches are hurting outlets around the world and in all spaces. We’ve worked hard at Mile High Hockey to build a brand you can trust and rely on for Colorado Avalanche coverage. Our goal is to serve you, the fans.

If you’re a fan of our work and want to get the best Avalanche coverage possible, this is an excellent win-win to improve your Google searches while helping Mile High Hockey out.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...le-high-hockey-shows-up-in-your-google-search

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Avalanche survive sleepy matinee downing Sabres 3-1

Four their fourth game on the young season, the Colorado Avalanche traveled to upstate New York to take on the Buffalo Sabres in a very early matinee affair. While it took some time for the Avalanche to find their legs they earned a tidy 3-1 win on the backs of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar who each scored in this contest.

The Game

It was the home team who came out with the best energy to start this matinee and put five shots on goal on the board quickly. But it was Nathan MacKinnon who didn’t need much opening to fire a backhand on Alex Lyon to put Colorado up by one early. Special teams was the story for the rest of the period as Buffalo had three power plays and Colorado one, however neither team converted on their opportunities. Buffalo snuck the equalizer past Scott Wedgewood near the end of the period on a Tage Thompson wrist shot which had eyes. As such, the first period ended in a 1-1 tie.

Buffalo started the second period with the same zeal but couldn’t grab the lead. Instead, Colorado found another quick strike with Cale Makar sneaking in the backdoor and buried a feed from Val Nichushkin. A questionable matching minors call put the teams on a 4-on-4 and it was MacKinnon who again used the extra room and found a small opening to put the puck past Lyon. After 40 minutes of play the Avalanche had a comfortable 3-1 lead.

Not much of note happened in the third period as there was no additional scoring. Colorado found some coffee at intermission and finally woke up tilting the shot advantage 15-4 in their favor. At one point Martin Nečas scored but the goal was overturned due to the play being offside. After that the teams cruised to a 3-1 final in favor of Colorado.

Takeaways

Buffalo did well for the most part to block out the toxic cesspool of negativity around them and looked alive for the majority of this game. But what they lacked was a Nathan MacKinnon and a Cale Makar, true game breakers who can make a difference when the rest of the team isn’t at their best.

Though it wasn’t a factor in the outcome of this game, the power play still struggled going 0/4 in this contest. Perhaps some juggling of personnel is in order because Brock Nelson isn’t doing his best Mikko Rantanen impression on the right side.

An underplayed storyline is the fact that Gabe Landeskog’s minutes are being managed. He played 13 minutes in this game including three on the power play. Surely whatever keeps him healthy and effective is the ultimate goal but still something worth pointing out.

Upcoming

One final game on the road trip after a few days off in Columbus, Ohio. Puck drop against the Blue Jackets is at 5 p.m. MT on Thursday, October 16th.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...che-survive-sleepy-matinee-downing-sabres-3-1

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

2025-26 Avalanche of Injuries, Part One

As the Colorado Avalanche began the 2025-26 season relatively healthy and are overall still in pretty good shape (knock on wood), there are still a few injuries the team is dealing with some recent updates.

Samuel Girard

After working hard to rehab and return from a offseason lower-body injury just in time to get in one preseason game and make opening night, Samuel Girard is back on the shelf with a new ailment. Though he finished the win against Utah in the second game of the season, the team announced that Girard has an upper-body injury and is now week-to-week with Jared Bednar indicating he will miss ““some time”. On October 12, Girard was placed on Injured Reserve which allowed defenseman Jack Ahcan to get recalled to the Avalanche.

Update: Samuel Girard is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 11, 2025

Mackenzie Blackwood

The biggest story heading into the season was the unavailability of Colorado’s starting goaltender for the start of the season which was described as only going to last “a week or two”. While Mackenzie Blackwood has progressed to taking some shots at practice with the team, his return is not yet imminent. The entire nature of the injury is still a mystery especially since it was outed by the Vegas Golden Knights broadcast that Blackwood actually had surgery in the offseason with several months of recovery needed. It is unclear if the current issue is a recovery setback or a new ailment that has popped up since. One good news to note is that Blackwood has not been placed on Injured Reserve by the team and was sent to the Colorado Eagles this week on a conditioning loan. The Eagles don’t play until Saturday so it remains to be seen if this is just for practice or how much time Blackwood needs before returning to the Avalanche.

If you’re watching the game and heard the VGK broadcast mention that Mackenzie Blackwood had a surgery and won’t be ready, I’ve confirmed that this was a procedure done back in May right after the season ended. This is NOT a new surgery that has changed his recent status.

— Jesse Montano (@jessemontano_) October 2, 2025

Logan O’Connor

As the known offseason surgery, it seems Logan O’Connor is still on track from his hip procedure. He was spotted skating before training camp with the other injured players but has yet to resume practice with the team. O’Connor’s target return is still sometime in November but has been placed on Long Term Injured Reserve for now to give the Avalanche an extra $2.2M in cap relief.

Season-Opening IR

A bunch of minor league players were put on Colorado’s Season-Opening Injured Reserve until they are cleared to be sent down to the AHL. Most notably defenseman Jacob MacDonald is still recovering from his September hip surgery with a quoted 5-6 month recovery timeline. All three of Ronnie Attard, Sean Behrens and Nikita Prishchepov each left the ice during an Avalanche preseason game and were never heard from or seen again with no injury update and were subsequently placed on SOIR. At least Behrens’ injury was minor enough to get reassigned to the Eagles this week.

Update: Sean Behrens has been activated and reassigned to the Colorado Eagles.

In addition, Mackenzie Blackwood has been placed on a conditioning loan to the Colorado Eagles.

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 13, 2025

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colorado-avalanche-transactions/58664/avalanche-of-injuries-part-one

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Weekly Cupcakes – Celebrating Brent Burns

Brent Burns celebrated his 1.500th game which is a remarkable feat. In a show of support, the Avs decided to dress like him and wear tanks with his face on them prior to the game. [NHL]

Burns has an epic backpack… but what’s really in it? [Toronto Star]

Will the Avs be able to retain well-liked Martin Necas? [The Hockey News]

Tyson Barrie recently talked about a time in 2019 that he thought he’d be traded to the Canucks. [Canucks Daily]

Former Avalanche coach Bob Hartley gave a great interview and gave Cale Makar great praise. [RG]

Expect Sam Girard to be out “for some time”. [Denver Sports]

The Sabres are winless thus far in the season, their coach called them out prior to the Avs taking them on. [Yardbarker]

Some are predicting the Colorado Avalanche will win the Stanley Cup. [ESPN]

Jonathan Drouin has been suspended for one game. [NHL]

A list of 26 individuals who can potentially define the 2026 season. [Sportsnet]

Gary Bettman finally sees value in the Olympic break. [CBC]

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/daily-cupcakes-sandie/58648/sandies-weekly-cupcakes

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Avs in Columbus for showdown with the Blue Jackets

It’s a quick trip to middle America for the Colorado Avalanche for a showdown with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are in search of their first victory on home ice during this 2025-26 campaign. The Avalanche, on the other hand, have gotten off to a blazing start this season, collecting at least a point in all four regular-season contests so far. Will the Avalanche continue that hot start, or will it be the Blue Jackets’ turn to take the victory lane?

Colorado Avalanche: 3-0-1​

The Opponent: Columbus Blue Jackets 1-2-0

Time: 5:00 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

I know victory lane is more of a racing term. That said, the Colorado Avalanche have been watching more like an F1 race as of late, so I think the terminology can be interchangeable. Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas sit tied for third in the player points race, each with 8 points in the first four contests. It’s not just the points, either; it’s how they are putting up points. Watching these two work together, along with Artturi Lehkonen, is reminiscent of Ferrari executing a team order—poetry in motion.

My god this video is epic. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/mP1zeIbOEe

— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) October 13, 2025

Avs fans got a bit of a scare with Gabe Landeskog missing practice yesterday, but we were warned of him taking days off for maintenance, and it appears that’s precisely what we saw yesterday. Jared Bednar says that Cap is good to go. Can’t blame Avalanche fans for overreacting to that one. They have been through a lot.

It feels like Zakhar Bardakov has to get a start in tonight’s game, and with Brock Nelson a likely game-time decision, that feels entirely likely. Nelson was cut against the Sabres on Monday afternoon on his hand or wrist area, but it was described as “just a flesh wound” by Jared Bednar on Altitude Sports Radio Tuesday morning. If Nelson can’t go, I’d expect Ross Colton to elevate.

Scott Wedgewood is the confirmed starter for tonight’s contest, and to be honest, Scott has looked more like a bona fide starter than a backup so far this year. That’s great news for fans and MacKenzie Blackwood, who shouldn’t feel rushed to get back after being loaned to the Colorado Eagles for a conditioning stint.

Projected Lineup:​

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabe Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Viktor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Gavin Brindley

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Ilya Solovyov — Sam Malinski

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Columbus Blue Jackets​

Alright, the Blue Jackets are a good team and have a great defender of their own who also wears the number eight coincidentally. Zach Werensky, in fact, got the second most votes for Norris last season, falling short of Cale Makar by 166 first-place votes. Werensky has three points in as many games, so the Avalanche would do well to keep an eye on the young man.

Kirill Marchenko had himself a wicked hatty against the Minnesota Wild last weekend, and it looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat since putting up career-high numbers last season.

Kirill Marchenko completes the hatty in fashion!

His shot is honestly ridiculous. #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/TKINhfZsM8

— NHL (@NHL) October 12, 2025

I think the Columbus team is a playoff team and thus provides a good test for an Avalanche team that has already garnered the praise of pundits around the league. You might call this a ’trap game,’ but in all honesty, I think Columbus is a good team.

It will be Merzlikins in the net for the Blue Jackets, who is 1-0 on the season, giving up four goals to the Wild, but securing a win while earning a .923 SV%.

Projected Lineup:​

Kent Johnson — Sean Monahan — Kirill Marchenko
Dmitri Voronkov — Adam Fantill — Cole Sillinge
Boone Jenner — Charlie Coyle — Mathieu Olivier
Yegor Chinakhov — Isac Lundestrom — Zach Aston-Reese

Zach Werenski — Dante Fabbr
Ivan Provorov — Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen — Denton Mateychu

Elvis Merzlikins
Jet Greaves

Note: Erik Gudbranson and Miles Wood are listed as “day-to-day.”

Let’s drop the puck in Ohio!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...in-columbus-for-showdow-with-the-blue-jackets

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Colorado wraps up the two-game roadtrip with a win over Columbus

The Colorado Avalanche wrapped up their two-game roadtrip out east with a matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight. Ultimatley, it would be the Avs who took control to win the game by a final score of 4-1. Let’s take a look at all the action from tonight!

First Period​

The first period really was really these two teams just feeling each other out, for the most part. Both teams had some quality opportunities and looks throughout this period, but both goalies stood strong and the score remained 0-0 heading into the second period.

Second Period​

Ivan Provorov would be the one to get the scoring going for the Blue Jackets tonight off of a feed from Kirill Marchenko. Marchenko would circle behind the Colorado net on this play, and pass the puck off to Provorov, who found a soft spot on the ice and roofed the puck over Scott Wedgewood for what would be Columbus’s only goal of the night.

TOP SHELF PROVOROV!

CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/avB0m4a8Bz

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 17, 2025

After that goal, the rest of this period was all Avalanche despite Columbus getting a goal waived off for the puck bouncing off of a player’s hand. First, Cale Makar would get the scoring going for Colorado in his 400th game, as he would just let a puck rip from the point, and find a lane to beat Elvis Merzlikins.

From way downtown! pic.twitter.com/0qkUNCTnbr

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 17, 2025

After that, Brock Nelson would finally get his first goal on the season, as he would tip home a Brent Burns shot from the slot to give the Avs the go-ahead goal.

The redirection from Nelson pic.twitter.com/bm7xGFQUPV

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 17, 2025

And finally, with just secons left in the second period, Valeri Nichushkin would add to Colorado’s lead to put them up by two goals heading into the third period.

Nichushkin puts a stamp on the second period! pic.twitter.com/6uWsMEVRGB

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 17, 2025

Third Period​

Val Nichushkin would add on his second goal of the night with an empty-net goal for your final score of 4-1 in Colorado’s favor. Columbus did look like they had pulled within one before the empty-net goal, but for a second time this evening it was ultimately ruled a no-goal, due to a hand pass.

Takeaways​

Once the Avs got passed that first period where they were really just feeling Columbus out, they found their groove, put their foot on the glass, and never let up. If you can keep up that intensity night after night, you are going to win a lot of hockey games. You don’t have to be a high-flying offense 24/7 to win games, and in fact I’d argue that the goals they scored tonight were just smart, hardworking goals, and it was their intensity and effort that allowed them to create those opportunities and ultimately capitalize.

The second line really stood out to me tonight, as it felt like they finally got rewarded for everything they’ve been doing right, not only in this game tonight, but in all the other games this season so far. It felt inevitable that that line would get on the board at some point or another with how they’d been playing, and they were finally rewarded tonight. If they can regularly contribute to the scoresheet night in and night out, that’ll be a huge boost for this Avalanche team.

Upcoming​

Colorado heads back home to take on the Boston Bruins on Saturday, October 18th. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. MT.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...he-two-game-roadtrip-with-a-win-over-columbus

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Is Gavin Brindley here to stay?

To highlight a strong opening of the season for the Colorado Avalanche, the full Mile High Hockey Lab crew of Ezra Parter, Evan Liu, Brennan Vogt, Jackie Kay and host Adrian Hernandez gathered to break down the first four games on the young NHL season.

Topics covered include the ongoing Marty Nečas contract saga and if there are any new updates in the rumor mill, injury news regarding Sam Girard and Mackenzie Blackwood, we examine if there should be any concerns about the power play this early on and if Gavin Brindley really has made the team for good.

As always, this episode of the MHH Lab includes our popular bold predictions segment and come find out what prediction has already earned Adrian a DING for the week.

Mile High Hockey Lab is available on your preferred Podcast platform! Don’t forget to download our new episode and give us a follow!

NEW EPISODE ALERT

LAB #115: Lights, Camera, MacKtion#GoAvsGo | @MileHighHockeyhttps://t.co/p8a7w6qzfR

— Mile High Hockey Lab (@MHH_LAB) October 16, 2025

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/mhh-lab-podcast/58734/is-gavin-brindley-here-to-stay

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (5 p.m.)

It’s a quick trip to middle America for the Colorado Avalanche for a showdown with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are in search of their first victory on home ice during this 2025-26 campaign. The Avalanche, on the other hand, have gotten off to a blazing start this season, collecting at least a point in all four regular-season contests so far. Will the Avalanche continue that hot start, or will it be the Blue Jackets’ turn to take the victory lane?

Colorado Avalanche: 3-0-1​

The Opponent: Columbus Blue Jackets 1-2-0

Time: 5:00 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

I know victory lane is more of a racing term. That said, the Colorado Avalanche have been watching more like an F1 race as of late, so I think the terminology can be interchangeable. Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas sit tied for third in the player points race, each with 8 points in the first four contests. It’s not just the points, either; it’s how they are putting up points. Watching these two work together, along with Artturi Lehkonen, is reminiscent of Ferrari executing a team order—poetry in motion.

My god this video is epic. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/mP1zeIbOEe

— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) October 13, 2025

Avs fans got a bit of a scare with Gabe Landeskog missing practice yesterday, but we were warned of him taking days off for maintenance, and it appears that’s precisely what we saw yesterday. Jared Bednar says that Cap is good to go. Can’t blame Avalanche fans for overreacting to that one. They have been through a lot.

It feels like Zakhar Bardakov has to get a start in tonight’s game, and with Brock Nelson a likely game-time decision, that feels entirely likely. Nelson was cut against the Sabres on Monday afternoon on his hand or wrist area, but it was described as “just a flesh wound” by Jared Bednar on Altitude Sports Radio Tuesday morning. If Nelson can’t go, I’d expect Ross Colton to elevate.

Scott Wedgewood is the confirmed starter for tonight’s contest, and to be honest, Scott has looked more like a bona fide starter than a backup so far this year. That’s great news for fans and MacKenzie Blackwood, who shouldn’t feel rushed to get back after being loaned to the Colorado Eagles for a conditioning stint.

Projected Lineup:​

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabe Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Viktor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Gavin Brindley

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Ilya Solovyov — Sam Malinski

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Columbus Blue Jackets​

Alright, the Blue Jackets are a good team and have a great defender of their own who also wears the number eight coincidentally. Zach Werensky, in fact, got the second most votes for Norris last season, falling short of Cale Makar by 166 first-place votes. Werensky has three points in as many games, so the Avalanche would do well to keep an eye on the young man.

Kirill Marchenko had himself a wicked hatty against the Minnesota Wild last weekend, and it looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat since putting up career-high numbers last season.

Kirill Marchenko completes the hatty in fashion!

His shot is honestly ridiculous. #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/TKINhfZsM8

— NHL (@NHL) October 12, 2025

I think the Columbus team is a playoff team and thus provides a good test for an Avalanche team that has already garnered the praise of pundits around the league. You might call this a ’trap game,’ but in all honesty, I think Columbus is a good team.

It will be Merzlikins in the net for the Blue Jackets, who is 1-0 on the season, giving up four goals to the Wild, but securing a win while earning a .923 SV%.

Projected Lineup:​

Kent Johnson — Sean Monahan — Kirill Marchenko
Dmitri Voronkov — Adam Fantill — Cole Sillinge
Boone Jenner — Charlie Coyle — Mathieu Olivier
Yegor Chinakhov — Isac Lundestrom — Zach Aston-Reese

Zach Werenski — Dante Fabbr
Ivan Provorov — Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen — Denton Mateychu

Elvis Merzlikins
Jet Greaves

Note: Erik Gudbranson and Miles Wood are listed as “day-to-day.”

Let’s drop the puck in Ohio!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/open...rado-avalanche-vs-columbus-blue-jackets-5-p-m

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Saturday Night Hockey is A-Bruin for the Avs

The Colorado Avalanche are back on home ice tonight! After securing two wins in Buffalo and Columbus, they put their unbeaten streak against the Eastern Conference to the test against the Boston Bruins.

Colorado Avalanche (4-0-1)​

The Opponent: Boston Bruins (3-2-0)

Time: 7:00 P.M. MDT/9:00 P.M. EDT

Watch: ALT, KTVD, NESN

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

Matinee matches are rather common during the regular season, and while it’s been awhile since the Avalanche have participated in a weekday matinee, they were more than up to the task in Buffalo. Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Nečas combined for a four point outing en route to a 3-1 victory. Scott Wedgewood continued his stellar play in net, turning aside 27 of 28 shots he faced.

Wedgewood would get the call three nights later in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, and although a blistering shot from Adam Fantilli off his collarbone left him smarting, he secured his fourth win in five starts as the Avs defeated Columbus by a score of 4-1. Brock Nelson scored his first goal of the season, which turned out to be the game-winner. Reigning Norris trophy winner Cale Makar, appearing in his 400th career game, opened the scoring for the Avs. Nečas pocketed his sixth assist of the season on Makar’s goal, and now leads the team with nine points in the team’s first five games (3G/6A/9PTS).

While the perception of these victories against Buffalo and Columbus might be that these were “easy” wins, they presented Grade A opportunities to bank points as they jockey for position in the Central Division. The Avs certainly understood the assignment: coming into tonight’s game, they sit atop the division with nine points. A victory over Boston would add to their early season cushion over the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars, who sit in second and third place in the division, respectively. Both Winnipeg and Dallas will be in action on Saturday evening: Winnipeg hosts the Nashville Predators, while Dallas visits St. Louis to face the Blues. All four teams have six points in the division standings, so there’s bound to be a shakeup among them regardless of the outcome in these games.

The Avalanche have not lost to an Eastern Conference opponent on Ball Arena ice since January 4, 2025, a 2-1 shootout decision against the Montreal Canadiens. However, they will be seeking their first win against Boston since January 8, 2024, a 4-3 shootout victory.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta – Parker Kelly – Gavin Brindley

Cale Makar – Devon Toews
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Ilya Solovyov – Sam Malinski

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Boston Bruins​

Boston is hoping that the 2025-2026 season will erase the disastrous and drama-filled campaign of the previous year. A protracted and contentious contract dispute with goaltender Jeremy Swayman played out in the public lens, and while both sides ultimately agreed on a long-term deal, the team couldn’t quite right the ship as the season unfolded. The organization’s dismissal of head coach Jim Montgomery didn’t yield any improvement, and as it became evident that the team was not going to be the championship contender it had been for the past several years, the organization began overhauling its roster. The most seismic move came in the trade of captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. Marchand would go on to win his second Stanley Cup title and first with Florida (who would re-sign him in the offseason), while Boston spent a very long summer looking for answers.

A couple of familiar faces will be in the Boston lineup tonight. Casey Mittlestadt, who was acquired from Buffalo in March 2024 in exchange for Bowen Byram, will make his first visit to Colorado since being traded to Boston at the trade deadline last season for Charlie Coyle as part of Boston’s roster makeover. Despite his hot start at the beginning of last season, Mittlestadt’s play sputtered as the year progressed, leading to his departure. He played eighteen games with Boston to finish the year, registering four goals and two assists for a total of six points. Currently, he has two goals in Boston’s first five games this season.

Another familiar face among the Boston bunch is former Avs defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who signed a six-year contract with Boston prior to the start of the 2024-2025 season. In his first season in Boston, Zadorov posted four goals and eighteen assists for a total of twenty-two points. Zadorov has registered a goal and an assist for two points in five games with Boston thus far.

Right wing David Pastrnak leads Boston with two goals and four assists for six points in five games, while centers Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha are tied for second in team scoring: Lindholm has two goals and three assists in five games, while Zacha has one goal and four assists during that span.

Boston has lost their previous two games, their most recent defeat coming at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights (a 6-5 decision) at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday night. Tonight marks the second game of a three-game road trip for Boston, and the first game of a back-to-back set, as they will visit Utah to face the Mammoth at the Delta Center on Sunday evening.

Boston has won the last three regular season games against Colorado, outscoring the Avalanche 13-6 during that stretch.

Projected Lineup​

Morgan Geekie – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak
Pavel Zacha – Casey Mittelstadt – Viktor Arvidsson
Tanner Jeannot – Fraser Minten – Michael Eyssimont
Jeffrey Truchon-Viel – Sean Kuraly – Mark Kastelic

Mason Lohrei – Charlie McAvoy
Nikita Zadorov – Henri Jokiharju
Jordan Harris – Andrew Peeke

Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...-saturday-night-hockey-is-a-bruin-for-the-avs

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Who will fill the void of the Utah Grizzlies?

The Denver Grizzlies of the International Hockey League have a special place in the hearts of many Colorado Avalanche fans. They spent one season in Denver, playing out of McNichols Sports Arena during the 1994–95 season, winning the Turner Cup in their only season in Colorado. Even though the Utah Grizzlies were not technically the same franchise, the connection with the fanbase has always been there.

When the Colorado Avalanche needed a new ECHL affiliate with the Colorado Eagles moving to the American Hockey League, the choice seemed obvious. Nostalgia and location made the pick easy for the Avalanche in 2017 to bring the Utah Grizzlies into the organization. Ever since then, the Grizzlies have served as the ECHL affiliate of the Avalanche, feeding players to the Eagles in the AHL.

Two years ago, the owner of the Utah Grizzlies, David Elmore, passed away, leaving the team to a group of owners. In May of this year, the sudden death of the General Manager of the Maverik Center, President & CEO of the Utah Grizzlies, Kevin Bruder, put everything into question. Only a month later, the Grizzlies announced they were looking to sell and relocate. As of September 9th, the organization announced that this will be their last season in Utah. Ownership will be selling the team and a moving to Trenton, New Jersey.

The question now becomes, who will fill the void for the Grizzlies? Colorado will probably want to sign a new agreement with another ECHL club in order to continue development. The answer may lie in the state just south of Colorado. The New Mexico Goatheads will begin play in the 2026–27 season and have not announced an NHL affiliation yet. Their location makes them a perfect fit for the Avalanche. They will play in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a suburb of Albuquerque. The Avalanche and the Eagles have been pushing the phrase “Hockey Highway,” and are just 20 minutes from I-25. The Goatheads’ colors are also burgundy and blue.

Signing the Goatheads as an affiliate only makes sense for the Avalanche. They are roughly the same distance away as the Grizzlies, and this would keep the affiliate in the next state over. Most organizations are moving teams so they are as close as possible to keep better track of them. Some organizations, like Montreal and Philadelphia, have all three levels within an hour of each other. It will only benefit the Eagles by keeping the ECHL affiliate so close and benefit the Avalanche.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/ahl-...8769/who-fills-the-void-of-the-utah-grizzlies

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: MacKinnon terrorizes Bruins in 4-1 win

After successful eastern road trip, the Colorado Avalanche looked to keep the momentum going against the Boston Bruins in a match back home at Ball Arena. The power play continued to sputter but that didn’t matter as Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals en route to a pretty routine 4-1 win.

The Game

Perhaps as punishment for putting their fans through yet another Nordiques jersey fakeout, the Colorado Avalanche gave up the game’s first goal. John Beecher scored his first of the year uncovered on the backdoor just over three minutes into the game on Boston’s first shot on goal. It didn’t take long for the Avalanche to answer back on their first shot on goal as well with Nathan MacKinnon beat Jeremy Swayman one-on-one to even the score halfway through the first period.

As if that wasn’t enough, Colorado scored on their second shot on goal when Josh Manson converted on a long shot from the blue line off of a Gabe Landeskog face-off win to take the lead. Both teams traded ineffective power plays to close out the first frame 2-1 in favor of Colorado.

In the second period the Avalanche received three power plays, so naturally the score remained the same 2-1 after 40 minutes of play. But the home team put up a 16-2 shot advantage for the period at least even if none found the back of the net.

If Boston had any chance to get back in this game that was erased five minutes into the third period when Nathan MacKinnon struck again on the back door after receiving a pass from Artturi Lehkonen from behind the net. Colorado received one more power play they couldn’t cash in on, going 0/5 for the night. But that didn’t matter as they maintained their comfortable lead. A Martin Nečas empty net goal sealed the deal and made the 4-1 win official.

Takeaways

Zakhar Bardakov suited up for his first NHL game with the injury to Joel Kiviranta but he only saw eight minutes of time on ice. Gavin Brindley was on his line and received his usual 10 minutes. They were scored on when Boston crafted their only goal of the evening. Both of their usage bears monitoring going forward.

Despite only making 13 saves, Scott Wedgewood was once again superb and has been the backbone of the club so far this season. With him playing so well it’s going to be interesting to see how and when Mackenzie Blackwood is worked back into the crease.

Scott Wedgewood R U KIDDING?! pic.twitter.com/H3f5hg7lBz

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 19, 2025

Upcoming

A quick road trip to get in a rematch with the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, October 21st. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo.../recap-mackinnon-terrorizes-bruins-in-4-1-win