News Avalanche Team Notes

[Colorado Avalanche]

5 Reasons to Give Thanks

A quick holiday break is the perfect time to give pause and reflect on what Colorado Avalanche fans have to be thankful for. Here are five reasons to give thanks over your turkey dinner.

The Captain Has Returned

It took three long grueling years of rehab but Gabe Landeskog is back as a regular player in the Avalanche lineup. Though it took him three tries to score his first goal of the season and then had a third goal called back the next game, Landeskog hasn’t lit up the scoreboard but his calming presence and leadership no doubt has helped Colorado climb to the top of the standings.

Twin MVP Candidates

Also a big help to that NHL leading record and 10-game win streak for Colorado is the continued elite play out of their superstars Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. With both at the top of their game they could be in the conversation to receive the Hart Trophy for league MVP at the end of the regular season.

As Seen on TV

After five and a half long years the Avalanche finally are back on television across the front range after striking a deal with Comcast. There are still several games broadcast over the air for free and even nine Colorado Eagles games available on local television. With the Altitude streaming app still an option as well, viewer accessibility has never seen better for local fans at least.

Martin Nečas $igned

No more drama, the Avalanche eventually committed to their star winger Martin Nečas with a $92 million dollar investment in an eight-year contract which kicks in next season. To erase that worry off everyone’s minds is more than enough reason to be thankful.

Nordiques Are Back

Even if just in jersey form for nine games, it’s fun to relive a little bit of history and for the Avalanche pay homage to their roots with the throwback Quebec Nordiques Heritage Series. The beautiful blue threads will be worn next on this Saturday, November 29th against Montreal.

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/general/59221/5-reasons-to-give-thanks

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Avs serve Sharks a shutout with humble pie

The Colorado Avalanche put their home-ice point streak to the test this evening against a young, rejuvenated, and talented San Jose Sharks club. The Avalanche were looking to log their 10th consecutive victory overall, and found their game early and often. Let the good times roll!

10 WINS IN A ROW pic.twitter.com/HsqJ4vanNH

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 27, 2025

The Game

Things started very positively for the Colorado Avalanche, who looked fresh-legged after a couple of days off, and Ross Colton and his newly shaved face tallied the first goal. The great Nate MacKinnon added a late power-play goal to put the Avalanche ahead 2-0 after one period of play.

The boys in burgundy and blue would build on that two-goal lead by notching three goals in scorching fashion. All three second-period goals came in the first five minutes of the second period. First, it was Sam Malinski putting on a snipe show, before Josh Manson did his best impression. It’s good to get some points from the back-end that’s been relatively quiet (offensively) outside of Cale Makar.

Then Joel Kiviranta scored in his first game back from injury, fresh off the draw caused by the fourth goal. It was straight-up domination at this point, and San Jose took a timeout to gather themselves amidst the 5-0 disaster. The timeout was effective in stopping the bleeding for the rest of the middle frame.

Nine seconds from puck drop to goal. pic.twitter.com/GBTNYZEyyn

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 27, 2025

The Avalanche and Sharks exchanged chances and power play opportunities for most of the third, but none of them tickled the twine. That is, until Nathan MacKinnon fed Artturi Lehkonen, who put away his own net-front rebound. That made it 6-0.

Takeaways

Colorado has led many games this season, and this one was no different. They have made one thing abundantly clear this season. They are great at playing with the lead. That said, I’m almost starting to worry about the lack of adversity the Avalanche have faced this season. I know that it’s awfully spoiled of me to be welcoming struggles, but something tells me it won’t be this easy in the playoffs. It would be nice to get some reps playing from behind.

Beat the guppies! pic.twitter.com/kLzXozDrL9

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 27, 2025

Good to see Joel Kiviranta get back on the ice and back on the board. It really does feel like this Colorado lineup is more than capable of thriving inside of the “next man up” model. It was also good to see Ivan Ivan get the call-up. He has plenty of experience, having played 40 games for the Avalanche last season.

The penalty kill was an unsung hero this evening, going a bit under the radar with the Avalanche scoring three goals in five minutes. They weren’t just perfect but also gritty and feisty—borderline postseason-level penalty killing typified by a diving clearance from Josh Manson in the middle of the third period.

Thirteen different Avalanche players logged a point in this outing, with Lehkonen, MacKinnon, and Necas logging two each.

We certainly didn’t learn this tonight, but it was most definitely reaffirmed— this Avalanche team is outstanding.

We certainly didn’t learn this tonight, but it was most definitely reaffirmed— this Avalanche team has two outstanding goalies.

If it sounds like I’m repeating myself, I’m just attempting to pay homage to MacKenzie Blackwood’s second consecutive shutout.

BACK
TO
BACK
TO
BACK SHUTOUTS pic.twitter.com/XO3udq3ORN

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 27, 2025

Upcoming

The Colorado Avalanche will head to Minnesota to face the Wild in a matinee contest on Friday at 1:30 p.m. MT. It should make for great visuals to complement your day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...ap-avs-serve-sharks-a-shutout-with-humble-pie

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild (1:30 p.m.)

It’s the first matchup of the year between Central division rivals Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild. Both teams have enjoyed strong play lately with extended win streaks as they currently hold playoff positions. Can we expect a spirited game between these two teams during this busy holiday weekend of post-turkey shopping?

Colorado Avalanche (17-1-5)​

The Opponent: Minnesota Wild (13-7-4)

Time: 1:30 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

Not only have the Avalanche won 10 games in row they are now riding a three-game shutout streak. It’s not a question of who will hand Colorado their second regulation loss on the season but who is going to score a goal on this team?

Not surprisingly the stars are leading the way for the Avalanche with Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas and Cale Makar all with 30 points and are top-ten in the NHL for scoring. Inexplicably Makar has yet to score a power play goal this season, though MacKinnon cashed in on the man advantage in the previous game at least.

Joel Kiviranta entered the lineup last game after missing 17 contests with a lower body injury. Ivan Ivan was recalled for the still missing Gavin Brindley. Both combined for a goal in the Sharks game. Will that buy Ivan any favor to remain with the team?

Projected Lineup

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas

Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Ross Colton

Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson

Ivan Ivan — Zakhar Bardakov — Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews — Cale Makar

Josh Manson — Brent Burns

Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski

Minnesota Wild​

It was a terrible start to the season for the Wild who had high expectations of contending within the Central Division. After going 10-1-1 in the month of a November with a current six-game win streak they are back within striking distance of at least second place in the division.

With his new record-setting contract Kirill Kaprizov has lived up to the hype leading the team with 28 points. Minnesota is also getting big contributions from Matt Boldy who now also has produced 28 points on the season.

The Wild defensive core is led by two young guns in 22-year-old Brock Faber and 19-year-old rookie Zeev Buium. They are also contributing with 15 and 11 points respectively. What makes the Wild dangerous is they have young impact talent all over the lineup including in net.

Projected Lineup

Kirill Kaprizov — Danila Yurov — Mats Zuccarello

Marcus Johansson — Joel Eriksson Ek — Matt Boldy

Marcus Foligno — Yakov Trenin — Nico Sturm

Liam Ohgren — Ben Jones — Tyler Pitlick

Jonas Brodin — Brock Faber

Jake Middleton — Jared Spurgeon

Zeev Buium — Zach Bogosian

Goaltenders​

Beginning yet another weekend back-to-back, it’s a safe assumption that both Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood will split starts for the Avalanche over the next two games. Those contests are both matinees so no morning skate to provide any hints on who is in net. Presumably the “starter” will get this game since it’s an important divisional matchup instead of the Montreal game back at Ball Arena.

For the Wild, they’ve also been fortunate to have two hot goaltenders as well. Rookie 22-year-old Jesper Wallsted has put up some stellar numbers with a .935 save percentage and 1.94 goal against average to go with his 6-0-2 record including three shutouts. His partner Filip Gustavsson has performed better since as rocky start to begin the season. The Wild, like much of the league following the holiday, are on a back-to-back as well and have the same situation as Colorado with a good problem to have in choosing which goalie to go with. After Gustavsson started on Wednesday presumably Wallstedt gets in net for this big game.

Follow along in the comments below!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/open-threads/59127/preview-avalanche-ready-to-down-wild-post-turkey

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Streak over as Avalanche lose 3-2 in shootout to Wild

The Colorado Avalanche’s impressive 10-game winning streak came to an end, though their 15-game point streak remains intact.

The Avs trailed by a goal until captain Gabe Landeskog redirected a rebound in the late third period to tie the game. Colorado controlled the pace in overtime and generated the better scoring opportunities, but ultimately fell 3-2 to the surging Minnesota Wild in the shootout with Matt Boldy securing the game winner.

The Game

Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring in the first period, notching his 19th goal of the season and 40th point overall against the red-hot Jesper Wallstedt, who had recorded three shutouts in his previous four starts. Despite the 1-0 Avalanche lead, it was a fairly even opening frame with Colorado edging in shots 14-12 and each team had an unsuccessful power play opportunity.

The Avalanche had to rally after Minnesota scored twice in the second period. Kirill Kaprizov converted both goals for the Wild six minutes a part. The contest developed into a captivating, back-and-forth offensive showcase, with both goaltenders—Wallstedt for Minnesota and Scott Wedgewood for Colorado—matching each other save for save with remarkable composure. After 40 minutes of play Minnesota held the 2-1 advantage.

It appeared that Colorado was on their way to their second regulation loss but MacKinnon set up Landeskog’s game-tying goal with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation, just moments after Landeskog had been down on the ice after taking a high stick. It was a highlight reel level of effort from Landeskog on that shift who was rewarded with the goal. As the game was tied 2-2, overtime was needed.

Evidently more than overtime was required to settle this game as neither team scored in the extra frame but Colorado created the only three shots on goal. In the shootout Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy scored for the Wild while Martin Nečas converted for the Avalanche and Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar’s shots were saved to arrive at the 3-2 win for Minnesota.

Takeaways

As the saying goes, a point is a point. Colorado may well have been on the verge of a second regulation loss in this game, but the team refused to give in. Landeskog’s goal, and the way his teammates reacted, illustrates just how much he means to both the team and the organization. You can’t win them all.

Notably, it was a very disciplined game as only two minor penalties were issued, and neither power play was able to convert on their opportunities.

Wedgewood finished the night with 35 saves on 37 shots, but seemed exhausted during the shootout, which can happen if you’ve been in a tough matchup. Wallstedt, now 7-0-2 on the season, made 39 saves, including three crucial stops in the extra period.

Upcoming

No time to think about it any longer; we have another game to witness on Saturday. The Avalanche (17-1-6) take on the Montreal Canadiens (13-7-3). Coverage begins at 1 p.m. local time from Ball Arena.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...ver-as-avalanche-lose-3-2-in-shootout-to-wild

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Montréal Canadiens @ Colorado Avalanche (1:00 P.M.)

I regret to inform you, dear readers, that the Colorado Avalanche are not hockey gods of limitless skill and influence out to bend the NHL on a whim.

Being mere demigods with those capabilities will be just fine, and those skills will be put to the test against the visiting Montréal Canadiens this afternoon.

Colorado Avalanche (17-1-6)​

The Opponent: Montréal Canadiens (13-7-3)

Time: 1:00 P.M. MST/3:00 P.M. EST

Watch: ALT, ALT+ (Avalanche Broadcast Area), ESPN+, NHL Center Ice (Outside Avalanche Broadcast Area – US), SN+ (Canadian Broadcast Areas)

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

The Avalanche had their ten-game winning streak come to an end in St. Paul on Friday, losing to the Minnesota Wild by a 3-2 shootout decision. Nathan MacKinnon scored his League-leading nineteenth goal of the season in the effort, and Gabe Landeskog scored a goal that was nothing short of heroic to tie game in the third period. Although they came up short in the loss, the point they earned made them the first team in the NHL to reach 40 points in the standings. Scott Wedgewood stopped 35 of 37 shots, with Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov scoring both goals for the Wild.

Coming into today’s game, the Avs remain atop the standings League-wide and in the Western Conference, and while Dallas and Minnesota picked up two points on Friday (Minnesota also hosts Buffalo tonight), a win today over Montréal would give Colorado three of a possible four points during another series of back-to-back games. The Avs have a 4-0-1 record thus far in back-to-back games this month, and another win today would go a long way in maintaining a healthy lead in the Central Division. Given how Dallas and Minnesota aren’t showing signs of slowing down, the Avs would do well to keep as much distance between themselves and the rest of the teams giving chase in the Central.

Today’s game is also the second game of the Heritage Series games as part of the Avalanche 30th anniversary season, which means that the powder blue Quebec Nordiques uniform kit will be on full display in this contest. The Avs previously wore these uniforms in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on October 23rd; Carolina also indulged in the nostalgia wave, opting to wear their former Hartford Whalers uniforms for the occasion. While the long-standing rivalry with Montréal now only exists in the history books, seeing the fleur-de-lis in action against a former division rival will certainly be fun and nostalgic experience in its own right.

Just don’t expect a re-enactment of the Good Friday Massacre when the puck drops later this afternoon.

Today’s game is the third game across four days for the Avalanche. Fitting, since their previous victory against Montréal (a 5-4 shootout decision at the Bell Centre on March 22) also took place on a Saturday when the Avs played their third game in four nights. With Wedgewood between the pipes on Friday, it’s likely that Mackenzie Blackwood will be in goal on Saturday afternoon.

Projected Lineup​

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Ross Colton
Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta – Zakhar Bardakov – Ivan Ivan

Defense:
Cale Makar – Devon Toews
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Sam Girard – Sam Malinski

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Montréal Canadiens​

After an impressive start that saw them win eight of their first eleven games this season, Montréal has endured some rough stretches throughout the month of November. They lost seven of eight games played over a three week period before stringing together a three game winning streak—including a 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Friday evening—prior to today’s game against Colorado. They currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division, only three points behind Tampa for the division lead.

The injury bug has bit Montréal over the past couple of weeks, as they’ve been missing some key personnel in their lineup. Former Avalanche center Alex Newhook underwent surgery for a fractured ankle he sustained in a game against the Dallas Stars on November 13, and will be out for four months. Prior to the injury, Newhook had been having a solid start to the season, recording six goals and six assists for twelve points on the season. Center Kirby Dach will also miss four to six weeks with a fractured foot.

Defenseman Kaiden Guhle underwent surgery for a partially torn adductor muscle on November 13 and is expected to miss between eight to ten weeks. Right wing Patrik Laine also had surgery in late October for a core muscle injury and is expected to miss between three to four months. These injuries have stunted what was a promising start to the season for Montréal, who had been looking to build on a solid 2024-2025 campaign that saw them finish with a 40-31-7 record (a marked improvement over their 30-36-8 finish the year before) and the team’s first playoff berth since the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season that saw Montréal make their first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final since 1993.

Defenseman Lane Hutson had a breakout season last year, scoring six goals and recording sixty(!) assists during his rookie campaign. He currently leads all Montréal defensemen in points (19), which in itself is good for third overall in team scoring. His performance has certainly boosted expectations as he enters his second full season on the Montréal blue line. Noah Dobson, acquired in an offseason sign-and-trade deal with the New York Islanders, ranks second in points for defensemen (16), which also ranks him second in team assists. Mike Matheson, fresh off a five-year, $30 million dollar contract extension signed on Friday, leads all defensemen in goals (4) and ranks third in points by defensemen (15).

Cole Caufield leads Montréal in goals (14), and his 25 points rank second on the team behind captain Nick Suzuki (27). Left wing Juraj Slafkovský, the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is tied with Suzuki and center Oliver Kapanen for second place in team goal scoring (7).

Montréal has won three of its past four matchups against Colorado, with their most recent victory coming on home ice back on January 04 (a 2-1 shootout decision).

Projected Lineup​

Forwards:
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zack Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovský – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Alexandre Texier – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Florian Xhekaj – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher

Defense:
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble – Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier

Between the Pipes:
Jakub Dobeš
Sam Montembeault

Follow along in the comments below!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/open...montreal-canadiens-colorado-avalanche-100-p-m

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Avalanche Rout Montreal 7-2

DENVER — Brock Nelson delivered a commanding performance Saturday at Ball Arena, putting up two goals and two assists as the Avalanche rolled past the Montreal Canadiens in a decisive 7–2 win.

Gabriel Landeskog added two goals of his own, while Brent Burns, Nathan MacKinnon, and Devon Toews each chipped in one. In net, Mackenzie Blackwood made 17 saves. Martin Nečas recorded three assists, and Artturi Lehkonen added two more. With the victory, the Avalanche improved to a league-leading 18-1-6 record.

Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson scored for the Canadiens, while Jakub Dobeš made 29 saves in the loss.

First Period

From the opening puck drop, the afternoon belonged to Nelson. After sitting for a high-sticking minor at 16:10—a kill backstopped by key saves from Blackwood—Nelson returned with a renewed focus Lehkonen sent a cross-ice pass through the neutral zone, finding Nelson in stride. He ripped a crisp wrist shot past Dobeš’ glove for his 600th career point.

Moments later, it looked like Nelson had scored again. As he released his shot, Landeskog was shoved into the crease by Josh Anderson. Montreal challenged for goalie interference, but the initial review upheld the goal, noting that Anderson’s push caused the collision.

However, a more detailed league review later revealed that Landeskog barely touched the puck after Nelson’s shot, meaning Landeskog was credited with the goal. Fitting after so many of his have been called back this season. Thus, the Avalanche carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

Second Period

It didn’t take long for Colorado to strike in the second frame as off a clean faceoff win by Nelson, Burns hammered a shot through Landeskog’s screen to extend the lead. The tally—Burns’ 264th—moved him into a tie with Nicklas Lidström for ninth all-time among defensemen in goals.

Nelson wasn’t done. After being denied on a breakaway, he watched Nečas collect the rebound and send it right back to him for his second goal. Fans who didn’t hear the earlier scoring change mistakenly thought Nelson had completed a hat trick and tossed hats onto the ice—an amusing moment on a dominant night.

Montreal briefly pushed back when Juraj Slafkovský spun and found Matvei Demidov for a tap-in to make it 4–1. But Colorado quickly reasserted control.

During a 4-on-4 sequence caused by matching minors to Oliver Kapanen and Nečas, the Avalanche executed a perfectly timed play. Cale Makar floated a soft touch pass to let Landeskog tag up at the blue line. Landeskog fired a low shot off Dobeš’ pads, and MacKinnon buried the rebound for a 5–1 lead to conclude the scoring in the second period.

Third Period

The contest was over at that point but at 2:51 of the third, Nečas feathered a pass to Toews, who punched in his first of the season to make it 6–1, although he would quickly find himself in the penalty box for slashing. Montreal responded with a “thank you” as Lane Hutson scored on the power play, but the Avs responded back right away.

With Jake Evans in the box for high-sticking MacKinnon, Landeskog redirected a rebound on the power play for his second goal of the game and for the 7-2 Colorado finish.

Next Game

The Avalanche host the Vancouver Canucks at Ball Arena on Wednesday, December 2. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. local time.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...erage/59932/recap-avalanche-rout-montreal-7-2

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: The Avs Meet Montréal in a Saturday Matinee Matchup

I regret to inform you, dear readers, that the Colorado Avalanche are not hockey gods of limitless skill and influence out to bend the NHL on a whim.

Being mere demigods with those capabilities will be just fine, and those skills will be put to the test against the visiting Montréal Canadiens this afternoon.

Colorado Avalanche (17-1-6)​

The Opponent: Montréal Canadiens (13-7-3)

Time: 1:00 P.M. MST/3:00 P.M. EST

Watch: ALT, ALT+ (Avalanche Broadcast Area), ESPN+, NHL Center Ice (Outside Avalanche Broadcast Area – US), SN+ (Canadian Broadcast Areas)

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

The Avalanche had their ten-game winning streak come to an end in St. Paul on Friday, losing to the Minnesota Wild by a 3-2 shootout decision. Nathan MacKinnon scored his League-leading nineteenth goal of the season in the effort, and Gabe Landeskog scored a goal that was nothing short of heroic to tie the game in the third period. Although they came up short in the loss, the point they earned made them the first team in the NHL to reach 40 points in the standings. Scott Wedgewood stopped 35 of 37 shots, with Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov scoring both goals for the Wild.

Coming into today’s game, the Avs remain atop the standings League-wide and in the Western Conference, and while Dallas and Minnesota picked up two points on Friday (Minnesota also hosts Buffalo tonight), a win today over Montréal would give Colorado three of a possible four points during another series of back-to-back games. The Avs have a 4-0-1 record thus far in back-to-back games this month, and another win today would go a long way in maintaining a healthy lead in the Central Division. Given how Dallas and Minnesota aren’t showing signs of slowing down, the Avs would do well to keep as much distance between themselves and the rest of the teams giving chase in the Central.

Today’s game is also the second game of the Heritage Series games as part of the Avalanche 30th anniversary season, which means that the powder blue Quebec Nordiques uniform kit will be on full display in this contest. The Avs previously wore these uniforms in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on October 23rd; Carolina also indulged in the nostalgia wave, opting to wear their former Hartford Whalers uniforms for the occasion. While the long-standing rivalry with Montréal now only exists in the history books, seeing the fleur-de-lis in action against a former division rival will certainly be fun and nostalgic in its own right.

Just don’t expect a re-enactment of the Good Friday Massacre when the puck drops later this afternoon.

Today’s game is the third game across four days for the Avalanche. Fitting, since their previous victory against Montréal (a 5-4 shootout decision at the Bell Centre on March 22) also took place on a Saturday when the Avs played their third game in four nights. With Wedgewood between the pipes on Friday, it’s likely that Mackenzie Blackwood will be in goal on Saturday afternoon.

Projected Lineup​

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Ross Colton
Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta – Zakhar Bardakov – Ivan Ivan

Defense:
Cale Makar – Devon Toews
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Sam Girard – Sam Malinski

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Montréal Canadiens​

After an impressive start that saw them win eight of their first eleven games this season, Montréal has endured some rough stretches throughout the month of November. They lost seven of eight games played over a three week period before stringing together a three game winning streak—including a 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Friday evening—prior to today’s game against Colorado. They currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division, only three points behind Tampa for the division lead.

The injury bug has bit Montréal over the past couple of weeks, as they’ve been missing some key personnel in their lineup. Former Avalanche center Alex Newhook underwent surgery for a fractured ankle he sustained in a game against the Dallas Stars on November 13, and will be out for four months. Prior to the injury, Newhook had been having a solid start to the season, recording six goals and six assists for twelve points on the season. Center Kirby Dach will also miss four to six weeks with a fractured foot.

Defenseman Kaiden Guhle underwent surgery for a partially torn adductor muscle on November 13 and is expected to miss between eight to ten weeks. Right wing Patrik Laine also had surgery in late October for a core muscle injury and is expected to miss between three to four months. These injuries have stunted what was a promising start to the season for Montréal, who had been looking to build on a solid 2024-2025 campaign that saw them finish with a 40-31-7 record (a marked improvement over their 30-36-8 finish the year before) and the team’s first playoff berth since the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season that saw Montréal make their first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final since 1993.

Defenseman Lane Hutson had a breakout season last year, scoring six goals and recording sixty(!) assists during his rookie campaign. He currently leads all Montréal defensemen in points (19), which in itself is good for third overall in team scoring. His performance has certainly boosted expectations as he enters his second full season on the Montréal blue line. Noah Dobson, acquired in an offseason sign-and-trade deal with the New York Islanders, ranks second in points for defensemen (16), which also ranks him second in team assists. Mike Matheson, fresh off a five-year, $30 million dollar contract extension signed on Friday, leads all defensemen in goals (4) and ranks third in points by defensemen (15).

Cole Caufield leads Montréal in goals (14), and his 25 points rank second on the team behind captain Nick Suzuki (27). Left wing Juraj Slafkovský, the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is tied with Suzuki and center Oliver Kapanen for second place in team goal scoring (7).

Montréal has won three of its past four matchups against Colorado, with their most recent victory coming on home ice back on January 04 (a 2-1 shootout decision).

Projected Lineup​

Forwards:
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zack Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovský – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Alexandre Texier – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Florian Xhekaj – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher

Defense:
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble – Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier

Between the Pipes:
Jakub Dobeš
Sam Montembeault

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...s-meet-montreal-in-a-saturday-matinee-matchup

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Avalanche ready to down Wild (post) Turkey

It’s the first matchup of the year between Central division rivals Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild. Both teams have enjoyed strong play lately with extended win streaks as they currently hold playoff positions. Can we expect a spirited game between these two teams during this busy holiday weekend of post-turkey shopping?

Colorado Avalanche (17-1-5)​

The Opponent: Minnesota Wild (13-7-4)

Time: 1:30 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

Not only have the Avalanche won 10 games in row they are now riding a three-game shutout streak. It’s not a question of who will hand Colorado their second regulation loss on the season but who is going to score a goal on this team?

Not surprisingly the stars are leading the way for the Avalanche with Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas and Cale Makar all with 30 points and are top-ten in the NHL for scoring. Inexplicably Makar has yet to score a power play goal this season, though MacKinnon cashed in on the man advantage in the previous game at least.

Joel Kiviranta entered the lineup last game after missing 17 contests with a lower body injury. Ivan Ivan was recalled for the still missing Gavin Brindley. Both combined for a goal in the Sharks game. Will that buy Ivan any favor to remain with the team?

Projected Lineup

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas

Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Ross Colton

Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson

Ivan Ivan — Zakhar Bardakov — Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews — Cale Makar

Josh Manson — Brent Burns

Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski

Minnesota Wild​

It was a terrible start to the season for the Wild who had high expectations of contending within the Central Division. After going 10-1-1 in the month of a November with a current six-game win streak they are back within striking distance of at least second place in the division.

With his new record-setting contract Kirill Kaprizov has lived up to the hype leading the team with 28 points. Minnesota is also getting big contributions from Matt Boldy who now also has produced 28 points on the season.

The Wild defensive core is led by two young guns in 22-year-old Brock Faber and 19-year-old rookie Zeev Buium. They are also contributing with 15 and 11 points respectively. What makes the Wild dangerous is they have young impact talent all over the lineup including in net.

Projected Lineup

Kirill Kaprizov — Danila Yurov — Mats Zuccarello

Marcus Johansson — Joel Eriksson Ek — Matt Boldy

Marcus Foligno — Yakov Trenin — Nico Sturm

Liam Ohgren — Ben Jones — Tyler Pitlick

Jonas Brodin — Brock Faber

Jake Middleton — Jared Spurgeon

Zeev Buium — Zach Bogosian

Goaltenders​

Beginning yet another weekend back-to-back, it’s a safe assumption that both Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood will split starts for the Avalanche over the next two games. Those contests are both matinees so no morning skate to provide any hints on who is in net. Presumably the “starter” will get this game since it’s an important divisional matchup instead of the Montreal game back at Ball Arena.

For the Wild, they’ve also been fortunate to have two hot goaltenders as well. Rookie 22-year-old Jesper Wallsted has put up some stellar numbers with a .935 save percentage and 1.94 goal against average to go with his 6-0-2 record including three shutouts. His partner Filip Gustavsson has performed better since as rocky start to begin the season. The Wild, like much of the league following the holiday, are on a back-to-back as well and have the same situation as Colorado with a good problem to have in choosing which goalie to go with. After Gustavsson started on Wednesday presumably Wallstedt gets in net for this big game.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...view-avalanche-ready-to-down-wild-post-turkey

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Weekly Cupcakes – Blackwood trying to prove critics wrong

Colorado Avalanche News

• The Colorado Avalanche handily beat the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. [Global News]

• Trophy Tracker: MacKinnon favorite to win Hart after scorching start for Avalanche. [NHL]

• The Colorado Avalanche have what it takes to break NHL record. [The Hockey News]
• Sunday Overreactions: Can Avalanche shatter all-time points record? [Sportsnet]
• Colorado Avalanche may be historically good. [The Hockey Writers]

• Blackwood delivers the perfect response to critics. [The Hockey News]

• Butterfly posture getting closer look from team due to injury impact on hips. [NHL]
• Romanov has shoulder surgery, out 5-6 months for Islanders. [AP News]
• Islanders’ Kyle Palmieri suffers torn ACL, out six to eight months. [Sportsnet]
• Messier to help showcase GAME 7 brand, apparel at NHL Shop NYC. [NHL]
• Mitch Marner’s Toronto to Vegas transition has hit a rough patch. [NHL Trade Talk]

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/dail...cakes-blackwood-trying-to-prove-critics-wrong

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks (7:00 p.m. MT)

Blackhawks, both of whom Colorado earned shutouts against in their wins, they return home to Colorado today to take on the San Jose Sharks. This will be the second of three regular-season matchups between these two teams, with San Jose having won the first game.

Colorado Avalanche (16-1-5)​

Funnily enough, the Avalanche’s last loss was against the Sharks way back on November 1. Flash forward almost a month, and Colorado has now won nine straight games after that OT loss, and tonight they look to win their tenth straight. Whatever the situation might be in any game, the Avs just keep finding ways to win, over and over again. You can certainly make the argument that they didn’t play their best against Nashville or Chicago on the most recent back-to-back, but when both your goalies put up shutouts, and you win games 3-0 and 1-0 respectively, it’s really tough to complain. After all, they don’t ask how, they just ask how many. Guys have been stepping up all across the lineup, and you should expect the same here tonight.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Gabriel Landeskog
Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Ivan Ivan – Zakhar Bardakov – Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Samuel Girard – Sam Malinski

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

San Jose Sharks (11-9-3)​

This San Jose team has arguably been one of the best stories of the NHL season so far. Everyone knew that they certainly had talent throughout their lineup, but I don’t think anyone expected them to be sitting just two points out of a wild-card spot for the playoffs. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith have been extremely good for this Sharks team to start the year, and they look like they’re going to be a problem for the league for years to come in just their second year in the NHL.

Projected Lineup​

William Eklund – Macklin Celebrini – Will Smith
Philipp Kurashev – Alexander Wennberg – Tyler Toffoli
Adam Gaudette – Ty Dellandrea – Collin Graf
Barclay Goodrow – Zack Ostapchuk – Ryan Reaves

Dmitry Orlov – Timothy Liljegren
Mario Ferraro – Shakir Mukhamadullin
Sam Dickinson – Vincent Desharnais

Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic

Follow along in the comments below!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...orado-avalanche-vs-san-jose-sharks-700-p-m-mt

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Colorado looks to keep it rolling against the Canucks

After getting back on track with a 7-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, the Avalanche take on the Vancouver Canucks tonight in Denver. This will be the second of three regular-season matchups between these two teams, with Colorado winning the first game.

Colorado Avalanche (18-1-6)​

Colorado’s 10-game win streak came to a close on Friday, when they lost in a shootout to the Minnesota Wild. After that, they bounced back against the Montreal Canadiens, winning that game 7-2, as previously mentioned. In that game, your superstars were your superstars, with Martin Necas recording three assists, but your second line was also extremely good and did a lot of heavy lifting, with Brock Nelson and Gabriel Landeskog each scoring two goals. Tonight, you’ll need people to step up again to compete with the Canucks.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Gabriel Landeskog
Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Ivan Ivan – Zakhar Bardakov – Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Samuel Girard – Sam Malinski

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Vancouver Canucks (10-13-3)​

The Canucks come into this matchup on the opposite end of the isle from Colorado, having only won two out of their last ten games. That being said, as Colorado learned last time when they won in overtime against this team, they are not to be taken lightly. They still have a bunch of talent up and down their lineup, and players that can make you pay for being lazy or making a mistake. To secure a win tonight, Colorado will need to mind their details, and make sure they take this team seriously.

Projected Lineup​

Evander Kane – Elias Pettersson – Jake DeBrusk
Brock Boeser – David Kampf – Kiefer Sherwood
Drew O’Connor – Aatu Raty – Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Arshdeep Bains – Max Sasson – Linus Karlsson

Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson – Tyler Myers
Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Tom Willander

Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...-looks-to-keep-it-rolling-against-the-canucks

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Colorado cruises to victory against Vancouver

After a very exciting 7-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, the Colorado Avalanche took on the Vancouver Canucks tonight, and won by a final score of 3-1.

Let’s look at all the action from tonight!

First Period:​

The Canucks got on the board first, as Linus Karlsson would score on what was a really pretty passing play. There’s not much the goaltender could’ve done on this play, as Karlsson got all the way behind the defense and made a really nice finishing move to score the first of the game. Somehow Vancouver had the early lead.

TIC-TAC-GOAL!
Räty Bains Karlsson pic.twitter.com/Bg3CQH7hPa

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 3, 2025

Before the period would end, the Avalanche tied the game with less than a minute left on the clock, as Nathan MacKinnon would bury a really juicy rebound into an empty net to score his first goal of the game.

MacKinnon cleans up in front pic.twitter.com/U2UqMHKZcg

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 3, 2025

Second Period:​

Brock Nelson would continue his scoring streak, as he would give the Avs a 2-1 lead with about six minutes left in the second period. On a breakaway he received a very nice pass from Gabe Landeskog and finished it in the net.

Breakaway Brock pic.twitter.com/flXrvBH4eJ

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 3, 2025

MacKinnon scored his second of the night with less than a minute to go in the second period, as he beat the Vancouver goalie clean with a one-timer, to give the Avs a 3-1 lead going into the third period.

Landeskog to MacKinnon.

It never gets old. pic.twitter.com/0zv3evx64i

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 3, 2025

Third Period:​

After getting a 3-1 lead, Colorado locked it down defensively for the most part in this period and didn’t allow Vancouver a whole lot of chances to make a comeback bid in this period.

Takeaways:​

After a very high-scoring game against Montreal, having an arguably boring game like this was nice to see, especially seeing that Colorado would win a game like this. It’s not exactly a secret that this team can score and keep up with just about every other high-octane offense in this league, but knowing how to win games 3-1 is also very valuable to be able to do as a team, in my opinion, especially when playoff season comes around in the spring. Once again, your superstars were your superstars tonight, as MacKinnon scored another two goals tonight, and Brock Nelson also continued his hot streak. Nelson has been looking more and more encouraging as games have gone on, he looks like a great fit for this team as he’s gotten more comfortable in this lineup, and I’m excited to see him get even better.

Upcoming:​

Colorado heads back out on the road next to take on the New York Islanders on Thursday, December 4. Puck drop will be at 5:00 p.m. MT.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...colorado-cruises-to-victory-against-vancouver

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Morning Flurries: MacKinnon named first star of November

It was a November to remember for the NHL’s leading scorer and as such, Colorado Avalanche superstar center Nathan MacKinnon was named by the league as the first star of the month. He put up eye-popping production to the tune of 26 points over 13 games including 11 goals to close out November.

NHL first ️ of the month for The Dogg! pic.twitter.com/unbrLXZtFK

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 2, 2025

Per the NHL’s press release:

MacKinnon ranked among the monthly leaders in even-strength points (1st; 20), plus/minus (1st; +20), points (t-1st; 26), even-strength assists (t-2nd; 11), goals (t-3rd; 11), even-strength goals (t-3rd; 9), assists (t-3rd; 15) and shots on goal (t-4th; 57).

This isn’t MacKinnon’s first honor of the 2025-26 season as he was named first star of the week on November 10th, paving the way to receive this recognition now for the entire month.

If MacKinnon continues to pile up these type of accolades is he in line for his second career Hart Trophy for league MVP?

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/morn...urries-mackinnon-named-first-star-of-november

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. Vancouver Canucks (7:00 p.m. MT)

After getting back on track with a 7-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, the Avalanche take on the Vancouver Canucks tonight in Denver. This will be the second of three regular-season matchups between these two teams, with Colorado winning the first game.

Colorado Avalanche (18-1-6)​

Colorado’s 10-game win streak came to a close on Friday, when they lost in a shootout to the Minnesota Wild. After that, they bounced back against the Montreal Canadiens, winning that game 7-2, as previously mentioned. In that game, your superstars were your superstars, with Martin Necas recording three assists, but your second line was also extremely good and did a lot of heavy lifting, with Brock Nelson and Gabriel Landeskog each scoring two goals. Tonight, you’ll need people to step up again to compete with the Canucks. Val Nichushkin is expected back in the lineup, thus no recall from the Colorado Eagles has been made.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Gabriel Landeskog
Val Nichushkin – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly – Zakhar Bardakov – Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Samuel Girard – Sam Malinski

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Vancouver Canucks (10-13-3)​

The Canucks come into this matchup on the opposite end of the isle from Colorado, having only won two out of their last ten games. That being said, as Colorado learned last time when they won in overtime against this team, they are not to be taken lightly. They still have a bunch of talent up and down their lineup, and players that can make you pay for being lazy or making a mistake. To secure a win tonight, Colorado will need to mind their details, and make sure they take this team seriously.

Projected Lineup​

Evander Kane – Elias Pettersson – Jake DeBrusk
Brock Boeser – David Kampf – Kiefer Sherwood
Drew O’Connor – Aatu Raty – Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Arshdeep Bains – Max Sasson – Linus Karlsson

Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson – Tyler Myers
Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Tom Willander

Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo

Goaltenders​

Scott Wedgewood is expected to get the start despite Mackenzie Blackwood earning the big win over Montréal. For the Canucks, Kevin Lankinen is expected in net.

Follow along in the comments below!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...ado-avalanche-vs-vancouver-canucks-700-p-m-mt

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. New York Islanders (5:00 p.m.)

The Avalanche have enjoyed a lot of success lately, and once again, it’s time to test their mettle on the East Coast as they visit Patrick Roy and the New York Islanders at UBS Arena tonight. Nathan MacKinnon is the league’s top point-getter, and the Avalanche are the NHL’s winningest club so far. A miserable injury wave has hit the Islanders. Will the wounded Islanders rally on home ice, or will Colorado log their 20th regulation win in 27 games?

Colorado Avalanche: 19-1-6​

The Opponent: New York Islanders 14-10-3

Time: 5:00 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

It’s tough to really analyze a team that is experiencing this much success outside of saying, “yeah, it’s working.” The Avalanche are sporting a +50 goal differential and haven’t lost a game in regulation since October 25th. They have shown themselves to be a team that can establish a lead and shut it down. They’ve shown themselves to be a team that can come back and win, and they’ve also blown teams out.

Out east. pic.twitter.com/wUOvWnWGlL

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 4, 2025

There is possibly one gripe that is reasonable to have, even inside all of Colorado’s winning. The power play has only tallied three road goals all season and still hasn’t quite clicked. A part of that is Cale Makar’s continued not-so-hot streak without a power-play tally since April 6th, 2025. Possibly, they can get one in all three road games this week?

Avs saw the return of Val Nichushkin, who mostly got third-line minutes with Gabe Landeskog, Brock Nelson, and Ross Colton finding their groove. An Avalanche roster that can afford to ease a player like Val Nichushkin back into the fold is clearly a deep one.

The same is true when you look at the goalie room. The Avs called up Trent Miner, and if he makes the trip, he will likely get a start in the Saturday/Sunday back-to-back. That is, unless they let MacKenzie Blackwood play all three games this week, given that he missed a good portion of the start of the season. What a luxury it is to be a team that can afford to let one of the NHL’s best and most winningest net minders, Scott Wedgewood, be overprotective with a tight-back. Ask Edmonton how hard it is to find good goaltending in this league.

Projected Lineup:​

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Ross Colton
Victor Olofsson — Jack Drury — Valeri Nichushkin
Parker Kelly — Zakhar Bardakov — Joel Kiviranta

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

MacKenzie Blackwood
Trent Miner

New York Islanders​

The Islanders have taken two heavy hits on the injury front, both on notable plays. First, we saw Alexander Romanov go crashing into the boards after a familiar fin shoved him (intentional or not) from behind in a dangerous position. This play prompted a heated exchange between Patrick Roy and Mikko Rantanen in which Roy yelled, “You’re not going to f—-ing finish that game,” referencing a March 26, 2026, contest between the Islanders and Stars next calendar year. Mikko has since responded, saying, “I’m a grown man, so that I can stand up for myself.”

BREAKING: #Isles D Alexander Romanov is out 5-6 months with a shoulder injury suffered on this week’s hit from Mikko Rantanen. #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/YndyuTcTfb

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) November 23, 2025

The second injury occurred during what I consider one of the most quintessential hockey plays in recent history. Kyle Palmieri went down and immediately knew it wasn’t good. In fact, he tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. That didn’t stop him from stick lifting an opponent and sending a backhand saucer that his teammates would inevitably put in the net. Palmieri was already headed to the room when the goal was scored.

Kyle Palmieri after getting hurt on the boards, stole the puck while heading to the bench, got the assist and then went to the dressing room pic.twitter.com/EBg7ugtYwc

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 28, 2025

The Islanders are definitely not as dangerous without Romanov and Palmieri. Still, they are going to be competitive every night or risk hearing it from the most outstanding goalie in hockey history. Speaking of former Avs, we will get another glimpse at Cal Ritchie and Jo Drouin as Islanders tonight!

Projected Lineup:​

Emil Heineman — Bo Horvat — Maxim Shabanov
Anders Lee — Mathew Barzal — Jonathan Drouin
Simon Holmstrom — Calum Ritchie — Anthony Duclair
Kyle MacLean — Casey Cizikas — Maxim Tsyplakov

Matthew Schaefer — Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech — Tony DeAngelo
Travis Mitchell — Scott Mayfield

Ilya Soroki
David Rittich

Time to take care of the Island Boys.

Follow along in the comments below!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/open...orado-avalanche-vs-new-york-islanders-500-p-m

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Colorado Eagles three stars from November

The Colorado Eagles continued their success from the month of October into November as they finished still on top of the Pacific division with a record of 14-5-1 good for 29 points. The schedule included a pivotal four-game back-to-back weekend sets with rival Tucson in which earned the Eagles a split as well as a split with second place San Jose Barracuda to finish out the month with a 7-3-1 record over the 11-game slate.

Injuries have taken a toll on many of the Avalanche callup hopefuls including forwards Chase Bradley, Matt Stienburg and now Danil Gushchin. Thankfully, Nikita Prishchepov was finally cleared to play and has since played three contests for the Eagles.

We have one repeat star from October as Tristen Nielsen continued his hot start into this month as well as two new players to highlight. All have spent time with the Colorado Avalanche over the past year.

First Star – F Tristen Nielsen – 18 GP: 10G, 5A, 15P

The month of November was good to the 25-year-old forward as he experienced his NHL debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning early on and then several weeks later returned and picked up his first career NHL point on a Cale Makar goal. In between it was a very productive return to the Eagles for Tristen Nielsen, which earns him first star of the month despite spending some time in the show. Nielsen did most of his damage in the goal department for a total of five in the month for the Eagles plus added an assist in nine games.

Another look at Nielsen's goals pic.twitter.com/ErudEnEXwF

— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) November 9, 2025

Second Star – F Tye Felhaber – 20 GP: 7 G, 5A, 12P

He was a much bigger story last year when he earned a contract upgrade to a NHL deal much like Nielsen just experienced. Still, even without a callup this season Tye Felhaber is contributing for the Eagles. He, too, is getting it done in the goals department with six to go along with two assists in 11 November games.

oops pic.twitter.com/iZLFta3xSZ

— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) November 23, 2025

Third Star – D Keaton Middleton – 20 GP: 1G, 4A, 5P

The Avalanche might have forgotten about Keaton Middleton but we have not. The six-foot-six defenseman was on a heater to start the month with a goal on an empty net and three assists over five games. He has since settled back into his defensive role to close out the month.

6.7. The Eagles can do it. Middleton on the Empty net #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @HockeyMtnHighCO pic.twitter.com/JEbNXFMK6T

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) November 3, 2025

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/ahl-...585/colorado-eagles-three-stars-from-november

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Islanders give Avalanche second regulation loss

Kicking off an east coast road trip, the Colorado Avalanche visited Long Island in search of their 20th win on the season against the New York Islanders. That milestone will have to wait as the Avalanche suffered their second regulation defeat in a 6-3 final for the Islanders.

Val Nichushkin, Martin Nečas and Artturi Lehkonen all scored for the Avalanche but it wasn’t enough as Colorado gave up 42 shots to their 38 in a game Colorado never led.

The Game

It was a start that’s become a little too familiar lately with the Avalanche giving up the first goal in the game. Kyle MacLean was the beneficiary of a scramble at the net front, which had Mackenzie Blackwood down in the crease, and put the puck in the net. Jared Bednar challenged for goaltender interference but was denied and thus the goal stood for New York.

Explanation of Coach’s Challenge at 5:56 of the first period in the @Avalanche / @NYIslanders game. https://t.co/8AcvIFfV1q

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) December 5, 2025

Due to the unsuccessful challenge, Colorado had to go on the penalty kill and then had to do so again a little later in the first period. New York’s dead last in the NHL ranked power play wasn’t much of a threat but still the Islanders managed to put up another tally before the end of the period. This time it was Anders Lee striking as he was lost in coverage and fired home a shot short side. After 20 minutes of play New York held a 2-0 lead.

Usually the Avalanche counteract their slow starts with good energy right out of the gate in the second period and that didn’t happen here as the Islanders added to their lead when Bo Horvat picked up a loose puck in traffic to put the Islanders up by three.

Not long after that the Avalanche really started collapsing as Blackwood let in a goal that bounced off his glove to Adam Pelech for a 4-0 New York lead. That finally woke up Colorado and 40 seconds later Val Nichushkin tipped a Sam Malinski shot to get the Avalanche on the board. Another minute later, Martin Nečas pushed the puck past Ilya Sorokin and Colorado was back in the game.

The action calmed down for the rest of the second period after that flurry of goals but New York got in another strike before the end of the frame on their 32nd ranked power play. Matt Barzal put a beautiful backhand past Blackwood and the Islanders took a 5-2 lead into the second intermission.

Colorado made it interesting with a quick goal from Artturi Lehkonen to start the third period but they couldn’t build on any momentum to get the score to within one. With just over three minutes to go Colorado received a power play and pulled Blackwood for the extra attacker but couldn’t get anything in the net going 0/3 on the man advantage for the contest. New York, however, did pot another goal for their sixth and final score when Casey Cizikas found the empty net to arrive at the 6-3 final for the Islanders.

Takeaways

It had to happen sometime for the Avalanche to pick up another regulation loss. The squad had been flirting with it for some time now with their bad first period starts. Blackwood at this time may not be as much of a safety net as Scott Wedgewood has been for some defensive breakdowns they are giving up. All that added up to a lackluster effort as the schedule begins to pick up in the month of December.

Though the homecoming may have been bittersweet, Brock Nelson received his tribute video from the Islanders for his first game back on Long Island. He contributed a secondary assist on the Nichushkin goal on the evening.

Always an Islander.

Welcome back to @UBSArena, Brock. pic.twitter.com/9dwAQrvpRh

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 5, 2025

Upcoming

Another — you guessed it — weekend back-to-back matinees starting with the New York Rangers at 10:30 a.m. MT on Saturday, December 6th.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...landers-give-avalanche-second-regulation-loss

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Morning Matinee at Madison Square Garden

Colorado’s east coast road trip continues today in a matinee matchup against the New York Rangers. After a disappointing loss against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night, which saw the Colorado Avalanche lose by a final score of 6-3, they look to bounce right back against the Rangers. This will be the second and final regular-season matchup between these two teams, with Colorado winning the first one also by a score of 6-3.

Colorado Avalanche (19-2-6)​

The Opponent: New York Rangers (15-12-2)

Time: 10:30 a.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Unexpectedly, Colorado comes into this game off a loss to the New York Islanders, which was just their second regulation loss since the season started. That game felt like the first true low-effort game from the Avs, in my opinion at least. Yes, they did score and kept themselves competitive in this game at least for a bit, but despite that, it feels like a lot of the players, if not all of them, threw in the towel and didn’t give a full effort to get back into that game, for whatever reason. Which you can excuse if you want to, they have been giving a full effort and during most all the other games this season, and they’re bound to get tired eventually, it happens, especially over the course of an 82-game season. That being said, tonight, they’ll need to give a full effort against the New York Rangers.

Colorado called up Tristen Nielsen from the AHL late last night, no word yet on who might be missing from the lineup but the timing of such transaction suggests it may not be just an insurance move. Also no word on the status of Scott Wedgewood and if he can enter back into the net after Mackenzie Blackwood didn’t have his best game on Long Island.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Ross Colton
Valeri Nichushkin – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly – Zakhar Bardakov – Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Samuel Girard – Sam Malinski

Mackenzie Blackwood
Trent Miner

New York Rangers​

After having some early-season struggles and currently sitting at second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers find themselves just two points out of a playoff spot because of how wide open the Eastern Conference is right now. This Rangers team continues to be one of the more confusing ones in the league, as they have a lot of good players, but they just continue to struggle, especially when playing at home, which could play in Colorado’s favor. As previously mentioned, though, this is no team to scoff at; they are an NHL team with good players, and will likely come out and give Colorado their best shot today.

Projected Lineup​

Artemi Panarin – Mika Zibanejad – Alexis Lafrenière
JT Miller – Vincent Trocheck – Conor Sheary
Will Cuylle – Noah Laba – Brett Berard
Jonny Brodzinski – Sam Carrick – Taylor Raddysh

Vladislav Gavrikov – Braden Schneider
Carson Soucy – Will Borgen
Matthew Robertson – Scott Morrow

Igor Shesterkin
Spencer Martin

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...view-morning-matinee-at-madison-square-garden

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: MacKinnon Scores in Overtime as Avalanche Top Rangers

Nathan MacKinnon scored 2:46 into overtime to give the Colorado Avalanche a 3–2 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

But it definitely didn’t come without a head-scratcher.

The Rangers forced overtime with 42 seconds left when Artemi Panarin blasted a one-timer from Mika Zibanejad past Mackenzie Blackwood. Colorado head coach Jared Bednar immediately challenged, arguing Panarin had played the puck with a high stick earlier in the play. Per the rulebook, he did.

By rule, it’s considered high-sticking if the puck is contacted above shoulder height during play, or above the level of the crossbar on a scoring attempt. On the replay, Panarin’s stick looked clearly above the shoulders of Joel Kiviranta—who stands 5-foot-11—before the puck hit the ice. The officials, however, let the goal stand anyway.

Even with that frustration, Colorado pushed through. MacKinnon finished the night with two goals, giving him an NHL-best 24 on the season. Parker Kelly chipped in his sixth of the year, and Martin Nečas put up three assists. Blackwood was solid, stopping 24 shots.

For the Rangers, Panarin and Conor Sheary scored, and Igor Shesterkin put on a clinic for the most part, but even 39 saves wasn’t enough to get the job done

First Period

The action first started at 7:26 when Cale Makar was called for interference after throwing a reverse hit on J.T. Miller when the latter didn’t have possession of the puck. The Rangers created some dangerous looks on the power play, but Colorado survived thanks to the post. Panarin and Will Cuylle were denied by the narrowest of inches.

New York controlled most of the period with an aggressive forecheck that kept the Avalanche hemmed in and scrambling to get clean exits.

Late in the frame, Nečas broke loose for a breakaway, but Shesterkin shut him down and the period ended scoreless. It was a typical slow start from the Avalanche who only put up nine shots in the period.

Second Period

After a failed power play Colorado finally broke through after a great shift from the fourth line 7:06 into the second when Kelly redirected a Sam Malinski shot from his knees to make it 1–0. The play started with Nečas working the puck behind the net and whipping a slick backhand pass up the wall to Malinski to set the whole sequence in motion. With some better energy Colorado managed to outshoot New York 13-8 in the frame and were rewarded with the lead.

Third Period / Overtime

Sheary tied it 4:23 into the third, taking a saucer pass from Vincent Trocheck, deking around Nečas, and outskated Makar before snapping the puck past Blackwood.

Not long after, Colorado got a power play when Matthew Robertson tripped Valeri Nichushkin, but the shift took a rough turn when Trocheck’s clearing attempt drilled Makar in the helmet. He headed straight to the bench but fortunately returned later after several shifts.

With 4:34 left, MacKinnon struck again—this time batting a rebound out of midair from a Nečas shot to restore the Avalanche lead at 2-1.

Just 26 seconds later, Brock Nelson appeared to have scored an insurance goal off a rebound. The officials initially signaled a goal, but video review revealed the puck never actually crossed the goal line. The call was correctly overturned, and the score remained 2–1.

The Rangers pulled Shesterkin with 1:50 left and eventually tied it on Panarin’s aforementioned controversial goal. After the failed challenge, the game went to overtime—where MacKinnon ended things on his terms. His absolutely filthy backhand even surprised Shesterkin as Colorado walked away with the 3-2 victory.

Next Game

The Avalanche (20-2-6) wrap up the weekend of back-to-back matinees on Sunday against Trevor Zegras and the Philadelphia Flyers (15-8-3) at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Puck drop is set for 11 a.m. local time.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...n-scores-in-overtime-as-avalanche-top-rangers

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Avalanche Cap Back-to-Back Sweep, Edge Flyers 3–2

The Colorado Avalanche wrapped up a perfect back-to-back with a 3–2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Brent Burns kicked things off for Colorado, Brock Nelson converted on the power play and Valeri Nichushkin added some breathing room with a slick insurance goal early in the second. Between the pipes, Mackenzie Blackwood was rock solid yet again, stopping 24 shots and coming up big when it mattered.

On the Philly side, captain Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny supplied the offense—Konecny especially, firing nine shots on goal all by himself. Samuel Ersson, typically the Flyers’ backup, put in a strong performance too with 25 saves to keep his team in it.

First Period

The Flyers struck just 2:08 into the game when Noah Juulsen fired a slap shot from the point that Couturier redirected past Blackwood, giving Philly an early 1–0 lead.

A little over six minutes later, Burns answered with his fourth goal of the season, firing a wrist shot through traffic—helped by Nichushkin’s screen in front—leaving Ersson no chance. Martin Nečas stayed cool at the left circle and threaded a pinpoint pass to Burns, whose ability to get shots through at age 40 is just insane.

Later, Juulsen was called for tripping Parker Kelly, and Colorado made the most of the power play. Nelson and MacKinnon each took swings at a loose puck, but Nelson got the final tap to give the Avalanche a 2–1 lead. Nečas almost added another, but his one-timer clanged off the post.

Second Period

It didn’t take long for the action to get going as 1:47 in, Nichushkin made it 3–1. He grabbed a cross-ice pass from Devon Toews that deflected off Victor Olofsson’s skate, then ripped a wrister past Ersson.

Konecny made it interesting, cutting the lead to 3–2 with a slick pump-fake to the far post before sliding the puck five-hole on Blackwood.

Burns nearly restored the two-goal cushion midway through the period, sending Olofsson on a breakaway, but Ersson came up with a huge blocker save. Later, Burns hammered another shot from the point, only to see it hit the post. On the same play, Trevor Zegras was called for slashing Nichushkin, giving the Avs another power play—they couldn’t convert. Late in the period, Nečas took a slashing penalty of his own.

Colorado carried the 3–2 lead into intermission, while the Flyers headed to the third with 1:53 left on the man advantage.

Third Period

After killing the penalty, MacKinnon was called for hooking Zegras on a breakaway 4:54 into the period. That led to a penalty shot, a tense moment considering Zegras has a 68% success rate in shootouts (17-for-25). But no dice as Blackwood came up huge again, reading the move perfectly and making the save to preserve the lead.

The rest of the game turned into a high-pressure battle, but Colorado held strong. Philly pulled Ersson twice late, trying to force overtime, but Blackwood stayed locked in, and the Avs skated away with the 3-2 win.

Next Game

The Avalanche (21-2-6) wrap up their four-game road trip Tuesday against the Nashville Predators (10-14-4) at Bridgestone Arena. Coverage kicks off at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...lanche-cap-back-to-back-sweep-edge-flyers-3-2