RSS Avalanche Team Notes

[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

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs Boston Bruins (7:00 p.m.)

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.

***One lineup change is expected after morning skate as the Avalanche announced Joel Kiviranta is out indefinitely with a lower body injury. In his place is the expected Avalanche and NHL debut for Zakhar Bardakov.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly – Zakhar Bardakov – 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

Follow along in the comments below!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/open...d-colorado-avalanche-vs-boston-bruins-700-p-m

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Weekly Cupcakes: Early power rankings favor Colorado

• NHL hype meter: How much stock should we put into these hot starts? [The Score]

• Blackwood’s conditioning stint is over, he appears to be ready to be back on the Avalanche bench. [The Hockey News]

• We all love when Cale gets love. After getting 400 games, he’s recognized as one of the elite. [SI]

• NHL Power Rankings: Avs are in third place, do you agree with these rankings? [Sportsnet]

• The subtle art of wall play in the NHL [ Sound of Hockey]

• NHL announce partnership to televise games in Australia [NHL]

• U20: Impressing ahead of the 2026 draft. [They Hockey News]

• Tough roster decisions coming for Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team. [CBC]

• Toxic hockey parents: Quebec manager calls it quits after nasty emails. [CTV News]

• Milan Olympic hockey arena delays may leave NHL stars on untested ice. [The Guardian]

• Men honoured for quick thinking that saved life at Kamloops hockey game, a reminder that knowing CPR, having the ability to call 911 and knowing where the nearby AEDs in your local hockey rink can save lives. [Castanet Kamloops]

• Jaromir Jagr is playing in his 38th professional hockey season – delaying his HHoF induction. [TSN]

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/daily-cupcakes-sandie/58806/weekly-cupcakes

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Avs meet Mammoth for a quick rematch

The Colorado Avalanche have been busy this morning announcing the release and sale of the much-anticipated Quebec Nordiques alternate jersey. Still, they will be even busier tonight at the newly renovated Delta Center in Utah as they play the Mammoth for the second time in two weeks. The Avalanche got away with a 2-1 victory at home last time out despite being outplayed in much of the game. Will Utah get its revenge on their home sheet? Or do the Avalanche have a better showing in them this time around?

New sweaters. pic.twitter.com/ZMqklxcUX3

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 21, 2025

Colorado Avalanche: 5-0-1​

The Opponent: Utah Mammoth 4-0-2

Time: 8:00 p.m. MT

Watch: ESPN, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

Colorado is six games into a condensed October schedule and is off to a strong start. The Olympics will throw a hair-loop into this season’s schedule, and we’ve seen that in the teams and players who are hot and the teams and players who are cold.

Among the hot-streak players sit the Avalanche top-line, who have combined for a whopping 27 points in six contests. That’s 4.5 points a game so far, which is so gawdy that it doesn’t seem sustainable, but it’s possible that this isn’t even as good as the top line can be, as they should get more familiar and even better as the year wears on.

It sounds like Kiviranta is still a no-go, which means we will get the double-rookie 4th line. Gavin Brindley and Zakhar Bardakov haven’t amassed a ton of minutes, but that shelter should help confidence levels. Brindley even had a goal against Dallas. Let’s see if the two of them can take advantage of limited opportunities and combine for some offensive production.

MacKenzie Blackwood never played for the Eagles despite being loaned to the team in Loveland for a conditioning stint, but it does feel like he’s not quite ready to take the net back from Scott Wedgewood. The good news is that he shouldn’t feel any rush or consternation about waiting it out, as Wedgewood is playing incredibly well. Wedgie will get the nod this evening.

I asked Mackenzie Blackwood off camera how close he is to returning.

He smiled and said, “Close.”

How close is up to the imagination. #goavsgo #avs @TheHockeyNews

— Ryan O'Hara (@OHaraSports) October 20, 2025

Projected Lineup:​

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

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

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Utah Mammoth​

The Mammoth should feel good about their start and how they are playing early into 2025-26, as well, and despite losing in the first matchup, they should feel good about a rematch with Colorado, too. Most of the locker room, including Nathan MacKinnon, thought that the Mammoth had done enough to win, but that the Avalanche took advantage of limited opportunities and stole one. If they can replicate that this evening, they could hand the Avs their first regulation loss of the season.

A shining light in that first contest was Karel Vejmelk, who is the likely starter again this evening. I’m trying not to think too hard about it, but it does feel like the Avalanche gets goalied more often than other squads, and this poses a threat in that category. Be on the lookout for a more in-depth look at this trend from me in the weeks to come.

Karel Vejmelka just made a great save on Nathan MacKinnon who has looked like normal MacKinnon this game. His best save of the period so far. #TusksUp

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) October 10, 2025

Projected Lineup:​

Clayton Keller — Barrett Hayton — Nick Schmaltz
Dylan Guenther — Logan Cooley — JJ Peterka
Lawson Crouse — Jack McBain — Michael Carcon
Liam O’Brien — Kevin Stenlund — Brandon Tanev

Mikhail Sergachev — Dmitri Simashev
Nate Schmidt — John Marino
Ian Cole — Olli Maatta

Karel Vejmelka
Vitek Vanecek

Let’s drop the puck in Utah!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo.../preview-avs-meet-mammoth-for-a-quick-rematch

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Posch locking in as solid backup for Eagles

The Colorado Eagles have played only four games so far this season. All of them have been without starting goaltender Trent Miner, who has been with the Colorado Avalanche since day one. So the Eagles have had to resort to using their backup goaltenders, and one stands well above the other. Isak Posch has made himself the clear number two in these games so far. He has been a pleasant surprise for Eagles’ fans and has helped them earn the top spot in the Pacific Division right now.

Posch was not my first choice to be the starter if Miner was up with the Avalanche at the beginning of the season. Veteran Kyle Keyser, who is with the Eagles on an AHL contract, should have been in net just based on games played. Posch came to the Avalanche organization signing as a free agent after playing two years with St. Cloud State. Last season, he joined the Eagles and played only one game, and he did not play well at all. He allowed six goals in 38 shots while the Eagles lost 7–4. Over the summer, Posch reported to development camp and rookie camp, working closely with goalie coach Matt Zaba.

Posch said no to the breakaway pic.twitter.com/hCa0nNCkM5

— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) October 19, 2025

Through his first three games of the season with the Eagles, there has been a drastic improvement. He has a 3–0–0 record, which includes his first professional win and first professional shutout. On back-to-back nights! He has a goals-allowed average of 1.67 and a save percentage of .909. He allowed four goals in a high-scoring affair on opening night and then only one goal since.

All the firsts for Poscher this weekend ️ pic.twitter.com/5sjwHqVoo0

— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) October 12, 2025

The second goalie, Kyle Keyser, has had little luck. He started his only game after a night full of bus rides. His loss to the Ontario Reign (LAK) marks the only loss for the Eagles so far. He allowed three goals in just 15 shots, and it seemed he was a touch behind the pace. Keyser played last season in the KHL, so this was his first game back in North America since April 2024.

The Chromaniac came out to play #ReignTrain | #COLvsONT pic.twitter.com/FmjB34giXT

— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) October 19, 2025

We may be only four games into the season, but the rookie Isak Posch is playing like he wants the crease. Miner will get it when he returns to Loveland, but will head coach Mark Letestu just stick with the hot hand? We will have to find out once Mackenzie Blackwood is healthy once again.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/ahl-...9/posch-locking-in-as-solid-backup-for-eagles

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Avalanche drop heartbreaker in overtime to Utah 4-3

Although both teams met at Ball Arena just over a week ago, it was time for a rematch between central division foes Colorado Avalanche and Utah Mammoth. Another energetic game full of momentum shifts and overturned goals erupted which needed an extra frame to settle. Utah grabbed the win in this contest by a 4-3 final score on an overtime goal by Dylan Guenther.

The Game

It was a much more back-and-forth affair to start this game than the Avalanche have been used to as of late but they found a way to get on the scoreboard first. The fourth line forechecked hard and Cale Makar was the beneficiary of an open look and he put the puck past Karel Vejmelka put Colorado in their familiar driver’s seat up 1-0 after the first period.

The second period was full of action as there were not one but two overturned goals. Under a minute into the action Colorado almost built on their lead when it appeared Gabe Landeskog scored his first goal of the season but after a lengthy review it was determined the play was offside.

Explanation of Coach’s Challenge at 0:46 of the second period in the @utahmammoth / @Avalanche game.https://t.co/EmvDUdfnPm

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) October 22, 2025

A few minutes later Utah had their own goal from John Marino called back as the officials waived it off due to contact in the crease with Wedgewood. It didn’t take long for the home team to get on the board for real, though, with a power play goal from Nick Schmaltz. Utah then added to their lead later in the period when Lawson Crouse got lost in coverage and buried a wide open look. After 40 minutes of play Utah was up 2-1 and crafted a 15-7 shot advantage in the period.

Another ineffective Avalanche power play began the third period but right after it concluded it was Jack Drury’s turn to get on the board as he found an open look at the left side of the crease. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev restored the lead for Utah shortly after on a shot that found its way through traffic and the Mammoth tried to lock down the 3-2 lead to victory.

It took until there was just over two minutes remaining in the game when Colorado had one more trick in the bag as Martin Nečas fired a sharp angle short side shot which barely found an opening between Velmelka’s mask and shoulder to tie the game 3-3. Nečas had not been playing well all evening but one play shows how much of a game breaker he is. And then to overtime the teams went.

That extra frame lasted just 33 seconds as MacKinnon turned the puck over to Utah and Nečas was late on the backcheck. Dylan Guenther scored on a feed from Clayton Keller to give Utah their fourth straight win at home in this 4-3 final from the Delta Center.

Takeaways

It was an eventful game for Zakhar Bardakov who started showing more of his true game in this contest. He picked up his first NHL point on a forecheck which led to the opening goal and delivered some big hits through the night. He still played less than six minutes as the fourth line is still trying to earn a regular role as currently constructed with Joel Kiviranta on Injured Reserve.

Perhaps it’s not yet considered a rivalry but Colorado-Utah is quickly becoming one as this was the second spirited meeting between the two teams with each picking up a victory. It was true back-and-forth action with momentum changes, big hits, skilled plays and tense moments. There is sure more to come when these two teams meet again two days before Christmas at Ball Arena.

Upcoming

One quick game at home in a tough early season match with the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. MT before embarking on another east coast swing. This will also be the debut of the Quebec Nordiques throwback jerseys against Carolina’s Hartford Whalers sweaters.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...che-drop-heartbreaker-in-overtime-to-utah-4-3

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Quebec Nordiques vs. Hartford Whalers (7:00 p.m.)

Well, folks, the long-anticipated wait is finally over. The teasing and trolling are over, and we have the new Nordiques Jersey. The first game they will see comes against the Hartford Whalers, or as they are currently known, the Carolina Hurricanes. This game doesn’t just set up as a sight for sore eyes because of the threads and nostalgic aesthetics, but also because these two teams are good. Let’s put it this way: they might look like NHLers from the early ’90s, but this game will be played at a much higher pace.

A clash of the classics pic.twitter.com/pneMKyraEV

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 23, 2025

Colorado Avalanche: 5-0-2​

The Opponent: Carolina Hurricanes 5-1-0

Time: 7:00 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Quebec Nordiques (Colorado Avalanche)​

The Avalanche were a bit disappointed in their performance last time out against a seemingly pesky and tenacious Utah Mammoth club. That might be true, but stealing a point and remaining unbeaten in regulation seven games into the season is among the more idealistic ways to begin a season.

Colorado lost in part due to a controversial offside ruling by referees and Toronto NHL HQ alike when Gabe Landeskog’s first regulation goal in three years was taken off the board. The NHL spent a good chunk of time and effort on Wednesday, detracting fans who weren’t satisfied with, “Nichushkin’s actions forced the Utah player to put it back into his own end.” Jared Bednar had this to say regarding the ruling, “It’s bogus… I think they got it wrong.” He also called it nonsense, and I tend to agree.

Let’s see if Landeskog and the whole second line can get back on the scoresheet tonight against Carolina, who will test Colorado’s depth just like any other Stanley Cup Contender.

We will get to see Scott Wedgewood’s throwback goalie gear tonight, which will be awesome. I have said this in many different ways in all of my previews so far this season—Scott Wedgewood is good. The Avalanche is currently allowing the fewest goals per game (1.86 GAA), and seeing as no one else has even gotten a start between the pipes, that’s all, Scott, who currently holds the NHL’s fourth-best save percentage (.927) as well.

Last thing I’ll add, and I’ll be quick. Let the Marty Party roll on and let it roll against his former club!

Projected Lineup:​

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

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

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Hartford Whalers (Carolina Hurricanes)​

As mentioned, the Hurricanes are a great team and a solid litmus test for the Avalanche, as hopes of a long playoff run and cup quest feel more and more legitimized. The Hurricanes are all about puck possession, as Jackie Kay mentioned in this week’s edition of the Mile High Hockey Lab, so we should key on that part of the game early, given that Colorado similarly prioritizes puck possession.

This game could get spicy and has the potential for a pseudo-rivalry, as many fans of the two clubs are at odds over the Mikko Rantanen and Martin Necas/Jack Drury trade. Brent Burns, also formerly of the Carolina Hurricanes, will be honored ahead of tonight’s game for his 1,500th career NHL contest as well. Any revenge-game scenario can play into the formation of a rivalry, but I say “pseudo” because the two won’t play much due to conference alignment.

Carolina is off to a good start themselves with just the one regulation loss in their first six games, which came on Monday at the hands of the Mitch Marner-led Vegas Golden Knights. Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Shayne Gostisbehere are the point leaders in Carolina, and they’ve added K’Andre Miller to their back end, who has 4 points in six games so far.

A classic matchup between two franchises hits the ice tonight at Ball Arena.

Be there pic.twitter.com/SLWn6xQE4o

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 23, 2025

Projected Lineup:​

Nikolaj Ehlers — Sebastian Aho — Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall — Logan Stankoven — Jackson Blake
William Carrier — Jordan Staal — Jordan Martinook
Andrei Svechnikov — Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Eric Robinson

K’Andre Miller — Sean Walker
Alexander Nikishin — Jalen Chatfield
Mike Reilly — Charles-Alexis Legault

Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov

let’s go BACK IN TIME!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/open...-quebec-nordiques-vs-hartford-whalers-700-p-m

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: It’s Nordiques vs. Whalers at Ball Arena

Well, folks, the long-anticipated wait is finally over. The teasing and trolling are over, and we have the new Nordiques Jersey. The first game they will see comes against the Hartford Whalers, or as they are currently known, the Carolina Hurricanes. This game doesn’t just set up as a sight for sore eyes because of the threads and nostalgic aesthetics, but also because these two teams are good. Let’s put it this way: they might look like NHLers from the early ’90s, but this game will be played at a much higher pace.

A clash of the classics pic.twitter.com/pneMKyraEV

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 23, 2025

Colorado Avalanche: 5-0-2​

The Opponent: Carolina Hurricanes 5-1-0

Time: 7:00 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Quebec Nordiques (Colorado Avalanche)​

The Avalanche were a bit disappointed in their performance last time out against a seemingly pesky and tenacious Utah Mammoth club. That might be true, but stealing a point and remaining unbeaten in regulation seven games into the season is among the more idealistic ways to begin a season.

Colorado lost in part due to a controversial offside ruling by referees and Toronto NHL HQ alike when Gabe Landeskog’s first regulation goal in three years was taken off the board. The NHL spent a good chunk of time and effort on Wednesday, detracting fans who weren’t satisfied with, “Nichushkin’s actions forced the Utah player to put it back into his own end.” Jared Bednar had this to say regarding the ruling, “It’s bogus… I think they got it wrong.” He also called it nonsense, and I tend to agree.

Let’s see if Landeskog and the whole second line can get back on the scoresheet tonight against Carolina, who will test Colorado’s depth just like any other Stanley Cup Contender.

We will get to see Scott Wedgewood’s throwback goalie gear tonight, which will be awesome. I have said this in many different ways in all of my previews so far this season—Scott Wedgewood is good. The Avalanche is currently allowing the fewest goals per game (1.86 GAA), and seeing as no one else has even gotten a start between the pipes, that’s all, Scott, who currently holds the NHL’s fourth-best save percentage (.927) as well.

Last thing I’ll add, and I’ll be quick. Let the Marty Party roll on and let it roll against his former club!

Projected Lineup:​

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

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

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Hartford Whalers (Carolina Hurricanes)​

As mentioned, the Hurricanes are a great team and a solid litmus test for the Avalanche, as hopes of a long playoff run and cup quest feel more and more legitimized. The Hurricanes are all about puck possession, as Jackie Kay mentioned in this week’s edition of the Mile High Hockey Lab, so we should key on that part of the game early, given that Colorado similarly prioritizes puck possession.

This game could get spicy and has the potential for a pseudo-rivalry, as many fans of the two clubs are at odds over the Mikko Rantanen and Martin Necas/Jack Drury trade. Brent Burns, also formerly of the Carolina Hurricanes, will be honored ahead of tonight’s game for his 1,500th career NHL contest as well. Any revenge-game scenario can play into the formation of a rivalry, but I say “pseudo” because the two won’t play much due to conference alignment.

Carolina is off to a good start themselves with just the one regulation loss in their first six games, which came on Monday at the hands of the Mitch Marner-led Vegas Golden Knights. Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Shayne Gostisbehere are the point leaders in Carolina, and they’ve added K’Andre Miller to their back end, who has 4 points in six games so far.

A classic matchup between two franchises hits the ice tonight at Ball Arena.

Be there pic.twitter.com/SLWn6xQE4o

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 23, 2025

Projected Lineup:​

Nikolaj Ehlers — Sebastian Aho — Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall — Logan Stankoven — Jackson Blake
William Carrier — Jordan Staal — Jordan Martinook
Andrei Svechnikov — Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Eric Robinson

K’Andre Miller — Sean Walker
Alexander Nikishin — Jalen Chatfield
Mike Reilly — Charles-Alexis Legault

Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov

let’s go BACK IN TIME!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...review-its-nordiques-vs-whalers-at-ball-arena

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

How the pandemic helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup

One of the most popular talking points from the Colorado Avalanche front office in recent years has been how the pandemic has hamstrung their roster building efforts and ability to retain much of their 2022 Stanley Cup winning squad. But is that really the case?

Chris MacFarland on building out the Avalanche roster over the last few years:

“COVID hurt us — there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”#GoAvsGo | @gs_off_ice pic.twitter.com/eu8feZxPjw

— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports_) October 6, 2025

Building a Champion

First, let’s examine how the 2022 Stanley Cup champion Avalanche took advantage of the challenging landscape of the pandemic and three years of a flat $81.5M salary cap to fortify their roster worthy of winning a championship.

It all starts on the back of a major competitive advantage that the Avalanche held as their superstar Nathan MacKinnon was on a $6.3M average annual value contract through the 2022-23 season. The organization was able to utilize the extra salary cap space by investing in a lot of other contracts including most notably one of their most successful strategies which was targeting undervalued arbitration eligible Restricted Free Agents in trades. This blueprint began in 2019 with the Andre Burakovsky trade from Washington but the strategy really accelerated during the flat-cap environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Avalanche front office’s crowning achievement may have been on October 12, 2020 when Colorado extracted Devon Toews from the New York Islanders just two days after he filed for arbitration. No doubt the flat $81.5M salary cap made an impact on the Islanders who were forced to let a valuable piece go before the 2020-21 season began and in fact Toews wasn’t the only defenseman in the league hastily moved that offseason. Colorado gave Toews a nice raise from the $700K he was previously earning to $4.1M over the next four years coinciding with their championship window.

Also in that fall of 2020 as the widespread uncertainty and diminished ability for teams to spend played a hand in Colorado signing both Andre Burakovsky ($4.9M) and Val Nichushkin ($2.5M) to moderate raises, which they were both under contract at when they lifted the Stanley Cup. Similarly, when both Gabriel Landeskog ($7M) and Cale Makar ($9M) signed their seven-year contracts in the summer of 2021, the Avalanche enjoyed the benefits of flat cap cost savings then as well.

In the spring of 2022 was when the Avalanche put the finishing touches on their successful RFA strategy with the trade deadline addition of Artturi Lehkonen. It was unusual to pry away a player with team control months before the offseason. But the Canadiens decided Lehkonen had priced himself out of Montreal to the benefit of Colorado. The Avalanche knew Lehkonen was due a raise upcoming that summer on his previous salary of $2.3M on a two-year contract.

The Aftermath

Now the argument is the NHL’s flat cap then in turn prevented the Avalanche from retaining the bulk of their championship roster. It’s true that tough choices have to eventually be made for every team that has built a contender. But a hypothetical salary cap that had continued to rise had there not been a pandemic isn’t an just easy solution with free get-out-of-jail money as the salaries would have continued to inflate along with the cap. Additionally, in the 2022 offseason the cap actually wasn’t flat as it began to move up by $1M annually as the league was emerging from the pande at that time ahead of the 2022-23 season with more growth expected on the horizon.

For the Avalanche, they still invested in long term contracts that summer after winning the Stanley Cup. Nichushkin signed his long-term extension in the 2022 offseason for $6.125M per year for eight years right before he walked onto the open market. The other big ticket signing was for the previously mentioned Lehkonen just a couple days later at $4.5M for five years. And despite the slowly rising cap at the time the Avalanche still found the $4.5M to retain defenseman Josh Manson for the next four years. All three contract values would certainly have been higher had the cap not been set at $82.5M for the 2022-23 season.

The greatest beneficiary to the Avalanche of all may have been signing their franchise cornerstone superstar center Nathan MacKinnon to his eight-year deal at $12.6M per year, which was the highest AAV contract in the league when he signed it on September 20, 2022. We don’t even need to do math to figure that had there not been three seasons of a pandemic depressed flat salary cap at $81.5M that someone else would have set the league’s highest AAV beyond Connor McDavid’s $12.5M which Colorado would have to beat to give MacKinnon the highest contract value. Even if the highest yearly contract wasn’t the ultimate goal, Nathan MacKinnon would have easily been paid more had there not been a pause on cap growth by the pandemic.

In the four years before the pandemic the NHL salary cap had risen 14% from $71.4M in 2015-16 to $81.5M in 2019-20. If that same rate of growth occurred from that cap to the 2023-24 season when MacKinnon’s new deal kicked in he would have been negotiating off of roughly a $93M cap. Assuming then if he received the same 15.09% of the cap, which he signed in the aforementioned 2022 deal, his salary would have came out to $14.03M starting the 2023-24 season. Still a bargain considering where financials are going today but certainly a greater cost to the franchise. Furthermore, had the NHL experienced these recent jumps of $8-9M growth over the three pandemic years instead of the at the time projected modest $2-3M increases then MacKinnon might have easily cashed in at $17 million long before Kirill Kaprizov did. That jump simply doesn’t give the Avalanche more money to play with, it increases their expenses.

The true argument really is about Nazem Kadri and would the Avalanche have had their second line center for the last three years of early playoff exits following their Stanley Cup win had there been no flat cap? Again, the $7M and 8.48% of the cap he signed for with the Calgary Flames in 2022 would have been at least 10 percent higher had the salary cap continued to rise modestly. Would Colorado have had the appetite to pay that regardless? It seemed as they always made a calculated decision to move on from a beloved but inconsistent player past his age 30 season who increased his production from 32 points to 87 in a contract year. Had they known the repeated failures, wasted assets and big investments the organization would experience in the years since moving on from Kadri perhaps they might have evaluated the decision differently. But don’t blame it on COVID.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...-pandemic-helped-colorado-win-the-stanley-cup

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: A Saturday Afternoon To-Do is a Bruin Redux for the Avs

The Colorado Avalanche have been served a steady diet of Eastern Conference opponents here in the fledgling stages of the 2025-2026 season. Today, they go for seconds in Boston against the Bruins to kick off the first half of a back-to-back set this weekend.

Colorado Avalanche (5-0-3)​

The Opponent: Boston Bruins (3-6-0)

Time: 1:00 P.M. MDT/3:00 P.M. EDT

Watch: ALT, NESN, NHLN

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

Heading into their previous match-up last Saturday at Ball Arena, the Avalanche were looking to break a three game losing streak against Boston. Things didn’t look promising early on, as John Beecher gave Boston a lead just over three minutes into the first period. However, a two goal outing from Nathan MacKinnon and a three point effort from Artturi Lehkonen would power the Avalanche to a 4-1 victory. The Avs held the Bruins to a paltry seven shots on goal through the second and third period combined, and extended their unbeaten streak against the Eastern Conference on home ice to eight games.

The Avalanche had been playing some very impressive hockey coming into this past week, so a drop-off in their game was bound to happen sooner or later. They dug holes for themselves against the Utah Mammoth this past Tuesday, and again this past Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. With the Avs trailing in the third period in both games, Martin Nečas and Valeri Nichushkin provided tying goals against Utah and Carolina, respectively, where opportunities to secure victory were there for the taking. Unfortunately, the Avs couldn’t complete the comeback in both games, culminating in an abrupt overtime loss to Utah and a shootout loss to Carolina.

Despite playing some of their worst hockey to this point in the season, there were some positives that the Avalanche can build on. When it looked like both games were destined for regulation losses, they managed to salvage a point in each game to continue banking valuable points in the Central Division landscape. Scott Wedgewood didn’t have his strongest performances this week, but the Avs managed to position themselves to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat despite coming up short in both games. Trent Miner had an admirable effort in relief during his first taste of regular season action against Carolina, allowing no goals in through regulation or overtime, and surrendering only one goal in the shootout session. Instead of folding against both Utah and Carolina, and they demonstrated that they can put themselves in a position to win when the deck is stacked against them.

(Of course, it helps when they don’t stack the deck themselves.)

Coming into this afternoon’s game against Boston, the Avs remain atop the Central Division, sitting just one point ahead of Winnipeg and Utah (both teams sit in second and third place, respectively). A win today in Boston would give them a welcome boost of confidence, not to mention preserve their slim division lead, before heading to New Jersey to face the Devils on Sunday.

The Avs remain one of only two teams without a regulation loss this season (Vegas is the other).

Projected Lineup*​

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Zakhar Bardakov – Parker Kelly – Gavin Brindley

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

Between the Pipes:
Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

*The Avs recalled Jack Ahcan and Danil Gushchin from Loveland prior to leaving Denver. It is currently unclear as to whether either player will see action this weekend.

Boston Bruins​

After the 4-1 loss to Colorado last Saturday, Boston has continued to struggle. Consecutive losses against Utah, Florida, and Anaheim have extended their current losing streak to six straight games. Their offensive game has been sound, as they’ve scored at least two goals in the past three games since facing Colorado. David Pastrnak recorded six points in the previous three games (3G/3A/6PTS) and remains the team’s leader in goals (5), assists (7), and points (12). Pavel Zacha is second in team scoring with two goals and seven assists for a total of nine points. Former Avalanche center Casey Mittelstadt is tied with Elias Lindholm for third place in goals scored (3).

Boston’s goaltending tandem has also struggled this week. Joonas Korpisalo has started two of the previous three games for Boston: a 3-2 decision against Utah this past Sunday, and a 7-5 decision against in Anaheim this past Thursday. Jeremy Swayman saw action in a 4-3 defeat this past Tuesday at the hands of former captain Brad Marchand and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. He was in goal in the loss to Colorado last week, and will likely return to the crease today.

Today’s game wraps up a three game homestand at TD Garden. Boston will head to Ottawa to face the Senators on Monday before returning home for a match-up against the New York Islanders the following night. Currently in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, a win today would keep them ahead of last place Tampa Bay, who are action tonight against Anaheim.

Projected Lineup​

Forwards:
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

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

Between the Pipes:
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...-afternoon-to-do-is-a-bruin-redux-for-the-avs

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Colorado looks to bounce back against New Jersey

Coming off of their first regulation loss of the season against the Boston Bruins yesterday, Colorado gets a chance to bounce back quickly, as they take on the New Jersey Devils today on the second leg of a back-to-back. This will be the first of two regular season matchups between these two teams.

Colorado Avalanche (5-1-3)​

As previously mentioned, Colorado was finally handed their first regulation loss yesterday by the Boston Bruins. It was ultimately a game that saw the Avs just make one too many mistakes, and those mistakes wond up in the back of their net, while Jeremy Swayman stopped everything that they threw at him on the other end of the ice.

The powerplay continued to be highlighted yesterday, the worst way possible, as they failed to convert on any of their man-advantage opportunities once again. Hopefully, the powerplay will get fixed as time goes on, as it’s a bit ridiculous that a powerplay with MacKinnon and Makar on it is this bad right now, but it’s just not happening right now. The powerplay not converting is going to make competing with this Devils team just that more difficult here today.

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog – Brock nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly – Zakhar Bardakov – Gavin Brindley

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

Trent Miner
Scott Wedgewood

New Jersey Devils (7-1-0)​

The Devils come into this game off of a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday. While it’s still very early in the season, this New Jersey team is already looking like the team that everyone expected them to be last year, given the lineup and talent that they have. They currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division, in part thanks to their superstar forward, Jack Hughes, putting up 10 points in eight games so far. Again, it’s still very early in the season at this point, and the Devils will likely go through some struggles of their own, but they look really good right now, and trying to keep pace with them offensively, especially with Colorado’s continued powerplay woes, will be easier said than done.

Projected Lineup​

Ondrej Palat – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Arseny Gritsyuk
Paul Cotter – Dawson Mercer – Connor Brown
Stefan Noesen – Luke Glendening – Brian Halonen

Luke Hughes – Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon – Simon Nemec

Jake Allen
Nico Daws

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...orado-looks-to-bounce-back-against-new-jersey

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Avs rally, lose fourth straight in overtime loss

Same story. Different state.

The Colorado Avalanche have now been to overtime four times this season—and they still haven’t come out on top. The New Jersey Devils were the latest to knock them out sudden death style in Sunday’s bout. After rallying from yet another deficit to tie the game with just over six minutes left in regulation, Colorado coughed up the puck and the game.

Jack Hughes scored the game-winner at Prudential Center, giving the Devils a 4‑3 win and handed the Avalanche their fourth straight loss.

Last year, Colorado went 8‑3‑1 in back-to-back games, but this year they’re off to a rough start, sitting 0‑1‑1 in such situations after a 3‑2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

For Colorado, Valeri Nichushkin, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brock Nelson all scored, and Trent Miner made 20 saves in his first start of the season (and second of his NHL career). On the Devils’ side, Hughes scored twice, while Arseny Gritsyuk and Connor Brown also found the net, giving New Jersey their eighth straight win since losing the season opener 6‑3 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Jake Allen stopped 21 shots.

First Period

The Devils jumped out early with two goals in just 37 seconds about 10 minutes in. Gritsyuk scored first after a sharp give-and-go, blasting the puck past Miner. Then Hughes skated through the neutral zone and beat Miner from nearly the same spot, glove side, to make it 2‑0.

Colorado tried to answer. Nelson fired an 81 mph wrist shot with under eight minutes left, but Allen stopped it. Nichushkin eventually got the Avs on the board, burying a rebound off a Makar shot that deflected off a Devils defender.

With under two minutes left, MacKinnon tapped in a rebound off the post for his seventh goal of the season. Lehkonen took the initial shot, Necas tried to wrap it around, and MacKinnon was there unprotected to help clean it up.

Second Period

Colorado’s penalty kill did its job after Nelson was called for tripping early in the period. The second line center has had issues staying out of the box early this year, but the Avalanche penalty kill in stark contrast to the power play, has been very strong. Later, Luke Hughes went off for tripping Necas, who crashed hard into the boards but stayed in the game.

Then, with just over seven minutes left, a messy line change left Colorado hanging. Connor Brown grabbed the loose puck and broke away, firing it past Miner to give New Jersey a 3‑2 lead. Despite outshooting the Devils 11‑3 that period, Colorado found themselves giving up the only goal of the frame.

Third Period

The third period was a more technical period with multiple ebbs and flows. Both teams exchanged turnovers at different points and no one quite stood out. Colorado uncharacteristically only managed to generate five shots in the period as they were running out of gas after a long weekend. However, the Avalanche finally broke through.

Nelson tied the game with 6:05 remaining, taking a sharp pass from Colton in the slot and firing it home to even the score. The question now was whether Colorado could finally break their overtime—or shootout—curse.

Aghhhhhhh.

Overtime

After MacKinnon gave up the puck deep in the offensive zone, the Devils raced the other way. Hughes’ first backhand missed, but Simon Nemec jumped on Necas’ clearing attempt and passed it to Hughes at the right circle. With a quick pump fake, Hughes ripped a clean wrist shot top shelf to seal the win.

Takeaways

When you’re always playing from behind, this is what happens—and it’s happened in nearly half of their games this year. The power play has been struggling, and turnovers like this won’t work against teams of this caliber. The Avalanche are lucky to be 5‑1‑4 instead of something like 3‑3‑2. There’s clearly a lot of work ahead, and they can’t keep playing like this for the next 60 games.

Upcoming

The Avalanche (5‑1‑4) head back to Ball Arena on Tuesday for a rematch with the Devils (8‑1). Puck drop is at 7 p.m. local time.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...s-rally-lose-fourth-straight-in-overtime-loss

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Opinion: Mammoth & Avs have a high and mighty advantage in ‘25-26

I was writing tomorrow’s preview, and a thought smacked me right between the eyes. I realized that the addition of the Utah Mammoth had significant geographic implications and consequences for visiting teams like never before. Utah plays 4,327 feet above sea level, and of course, we know the Avs are a mile high! That, along with a combination of factors, should give both the Colorado Avalanche and the Utah Mammoth an advantage over visiting squads this season, especially those from sea-level franchises. Let me present my supporting evidence!

Disruptive effects on days 2 and 3​

The first factor I’ll bring up is likely the most impactful: sports scientists and other experts have agreed that the most disruptive effects of playing at altitude occur 2-3 days into a trip. These effects are especially impairing for hockey players who rely heavily on their body’s ability to circulate oxygen through the bloodstream and into the muscles.

Macklin Celebrini taking the infamous VO2 Max Bike test at the NHL Draft Combine. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/ajzBCO747q

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) June 8, 2024

Not to get all Dr. Ado on you, but a lower VO2 max can be reduced by 5-15% due to arterial hypoxemia, which will reduce one’s ability to do sprint-like activities. You know, like skating in the NHL. The typical nomenclature for this in hockey is heavy legs, and that’s indeed what it feels like.

We’ve all seen the Avalanche pounce on teams that don’t have their legs at altitude, and the numbers back that with the Avs sporting a roughly 60% home win rate (historically), which could be due to opponents scoring 10-15% less when playing in Colorado.

Utah creates an extended and elevated road trip​

How does this change with Utah in the league? Well, for starters, teams that typically just spent one or two nights in Colorado for a game at elevation no longer get relief the following game, as it’s typical for the visitors to play both the Avalanche and Mammoth in the same 3-4 days to maintain efficiency during travel for NHL squads.

That means most visitors to either squad will have to be at altitude for 2-3 days. They thus will experience the most debilitating effects of altitude at some point during a hockey game in either Utah or Colorado. That said, it will be the team that plays the visitor in the second game of the trip that should truly cash in on the advantage. Something that really never happened before the Mammoth rolled in.

Fight for air​

Both squads are set to reap the benefits of this reality, and I’ve pinpointed two particular timeframes for each team to key on. Funny enough, we are already seeing the returns on the first time frame, which for Utah is Oct 15 through October 26th against the Jets. The Mammoth are leading the Central Division with wins in their last seven contests and coincidentally all four home games.

For the Avalanche, I’m keying on that eight-game stretch in November, starting with the Sabres and ending with the Canadiens. The first game on November 13 will be on a back-to-back for Buffalo, who will have played in Utah the night before. If I were a betting man, I’d risk the farm on the Avs winning that game.

Game two in that time frame will be against the Islanders, who will have played in Utah two days earlier before coming to Ball Arena.

Then it will be the Rangers, but this time the Mammoth will get the second game a couple of days after New York visits the Avs.

Finally, the last home game of that stretch will come against the Habs, who will have played Utah in Utah just three nights before, with a game against Vegas thrown in the night before they visit the Avalanche. They’d better bring some oxygen.

What this means to me​

Here’s where I see this going. The Mammoth are going to be a perennial playoff team very soon, and both they and the Avalanche will be racing for the top spot in the Central for years to come. I am going to predict right now that the Avalanche and Mammoth play multiple times in the playoffs in the next three seasons and become bona fide rivals in that time frame as well.

In this case, Avalanche and Mammoth share this benefit only during the regular season, not when facing each other. That level playing field (no pun intended) should make for exciting, high-paced hockey, and if it does, in fact, happen in the playoffs, boy, are both fan bases lucky.

The Central Division leading Utah Mammoth, folks.

8-2-0 with today's win in Winnipeg, now ahead of the #NHLJets and the Avalanche, too.

Jets drop to 6-3-0.

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) October 27, 2025

I also assume this trend will become more apparent as the season progresses and wear and tear on visitors builds up. Overall, let’s keep an eye on this throughout the year and see if my idea has merit.

Let us know what you think in the comments!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...avs-have-a-high-and-mighty-advantage-in-25-26

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Weekly Cupcakes – Heritage Jersey Appreciation

• The Nordiques vs Whalers led to a beautiful jersey match up… but does the NHL have a jersey problem? [Defector]

• In case you missed it, the Avalanche history is rich with Quebec roots. [ NHL]

• The weekly power rankings had the Avs fairly high as of mid-last week, but they have experienced their first regulation loss since then. [ Daily Face Off]

• The NHL has suspended Mitch Love for the remainder of the season over domestic violence allegations. Meanwhile, the Caps have let him go. [Sportsnet]

• Alec Nasreddine knows he has a tough road ahead if he makes it to the NHL, just like his dad. [CBC]

• Kadri is expected to remain with the Flames for “at least” six more games. [The Hockey News]

• Could Laine’s injury mean the end to his journey in a Habs jersey? [Heavy.]

• Jack and Luke Hughs are working to put books in kids hands. [The Hockey News]

• Lightning star Kucherov gets 1,000th career point Saturday vs. Ducks. [TSN]

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/daily-cupcakes-sandie/59003/weekly-cupcakes

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Avs host Devils in quick rematch

The Avalanche had a busy weekend on the East Coast, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a very fruitful trip. We thought Colorado got off to a tremendous start until we saw how things have started for the Devils, who have amassed 16/18 possible points out of the gate. The Avalanche did all they could to scratch and claw back into Sunday’s contest with the Devils, and that seems to be the theme of the last week for Jared Bednar and the boys. Can they get back into the win column, or will they fall victim to a red-hot Devils squad twice in three days?

Colorado Avalanche: 5-1-4​

The Opponent: New Jersey Devils 8-1-0

Time: 7:00 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

The Avalanche have secured 14/20 points on the regular season themselves, but it’s been a bit rough as of late, as they’ve lost four straight, with three of the losses coming in overtime or shootout variety. A frustrating reality for fans who have seen one particular element go completely silent.

The Colorado Avalanche power play is in shambles, and we are hearing all about it. The Avs can only blame themselves for the development of this narrative as they scapegoated the power play and Ray Bennett in the off-season.

32 teams. 16 games. 1 NHL #FrozenFrenzy

Go behind-the-scenes with the ESPN crew making Tuesday’s hockey night marathon happen

Read more: https://t.co/DimWixCwbA pic.twitter.com/zUaGhTel8y

— ESPN Front Row (@ESPNFrontRow) October 27, 2025

Turns out it might not be the approach but the personnel, and, understandably, that’s not all that easy to understand. Colorado’s top group on paper should be excellent on the power play, but in reality, they are more productive at even strength. Something has to give for this squad, which is currently 4/39 (10.26%) on the man advantage, ranking 30th in the league. The Avalanche have scored one power play goal in the seven games since Nathan MacKinnon said, “I guess they just don’t know what a good power play looks like,” in reference to the fans booing the power play against Dallas. Not a good look.

Projected Lineup:​

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

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

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

New Jersey Devils​

The Devils are off and running, and it’s primarily due to the availability of Jack Hughes, who clearly elevates this team into a playoff contender with the potential to make a real run at it. New Jersey has scored first in all eight of their victories, so it’s safe to say they know how to get out on the right foot.

It’s always interesting to see how a home-and-home series affects players, with the second game coming at altitude in Colorado. Most experts say the effects of altitude don’t hit you until the second or third day, so it may be a non-factor for the Devils, but it’s always something to keep an eye on.

They have the mountains. We have the momentum.

: @Avalanche
: 9 PM
: MSGSN2
: https://t.co/GDJDPJMFi8 pic.twitter.com/WUNhmF4Kjp

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 28, 2025

Another thing to keep an eye on is the physicality in this contest. It should come as no surprise that teams playing each other multiple times in a short time frame creates some animosity, and in this home-and-home situation, the potential for things bubbling to the surface is at an all-time high.

Projected Lineup:​

Ondrej Palat — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Arseny Gritsyuk
Paul Cotter — Dawson Mercer — Connor Brown
Stefan Noesen — Luke Glendening — Brian Halonen

Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon — Simon Nemec

Jake Allen
Jacob Marsktrom

Avalanche revenge game!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...9014/preview-avs-host-devils-in-quick-rematch

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Avalanche sign minor league forward Tristen Nielsen

As the Colorado Avalanche enjoyed a day off, they still announced the signing this week of minor league forward Tristen Nielsen to a two-year NHL contract beginning this season. Per PuckPedia, the cap hit is $775 on a two-way deal with guarantees of $150K in year one and $225K in year two.

Details https://t.co/kFM9eHtays

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 27, 2025

The 25-year-old left shot forward spent the last four years in the Vancouver Canucks organization, winning the Calder Cup with Abbotsford last season. The B.C. native played in the WHL for the Calgary Hitmen and Vancouver Giants, where he was teammates of both Avalanche goaltender Trent Miner and former defenseman Bowen Byram. Nielsen signed a two-year Entry Level Contract with Vancouver in 2023 but never suited up for the Canucks.

Nielsen had been on AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles since signing in August but clearly impressed the coaching staff in training camp. He followed up that good showing with a strong start in the AHL contributing three goals and four assists in seven games with the Eagles. This move is very similar to when follow Eagles forward Tye Felhaber had his contract upgraded to an NHL pact last fall. Time will tell if Nielsen would get the same reward of getting into a NHL game, which would be his debut. The signing does make for a crowded group of forwards in the AHL vying for a call up.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colorado-avalanche-transactions/59039/avalanche-sign-triesten-nielsen

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Olofsson hat trick fuels Avs over Devils in rematch

To conclude this busy stretch of the early season schedule, the Colorado Avalanche engaged in an immediate rematch with the New Jersey Devils hoping to avenge their 4-3 loss in overtime from Sunday afternoon. On the back of a Victor Olofsson hat trick the Avalanche did just that in a wild 8-4 finish on Frozen Frenzy night.

The Game

It didn’t take long for the fireworks to commence. Returning from injury, Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom threw the puck over the glass and gave Colorado an early power play. The squad came out with some urgency and actually put up an early power play goal from Martin Nečas just over a minute into the game.

Just a few minutes later the fourth line crafted their own strike as Parker Kelly sprung Zakhar Bardakov on a breakaway and he subsequently buried the puck for his first NHL goal. It was sweet revenge for the 23-year-old Russian as he was drafted by the Devils in the seventh round in 2021. The rest of the first period was uneventful as the teams traded fruitless power plays. Colorado held the 2-0 advantage on the scoreboard despite New Jersey edging in shots 16-12.

What an electric first NHL goal for Bardakov pic.twitter.com/Vv3u7s38c3

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 29, 2025

Early in the second period it started to become abundantly clear that Markstrom should have stayed on injured reserve as he got beat on a breakaway again. This time Victor Olofsson netted his first goal as an Av to put Colorado up 3-0.

The home team was just getting warmed up as the Avalanche earned a lengthy 5-on-3 in which Nathan MacKinnon converted on. Just before the halfway mark of the game Parker Kelly scored on another breakaway to put Colorado up 5-0 and this game was essentially over.

Or was it?

In the span of five minutes New Jersey pulled themselves back in the game with four unanswered goals. The first from Stefan Noesen on a Brent Burns turnover. Six-foot-six Dougie Hamilton knocked in his own rebound after his shot bounced off Scott Wedgewood’s glove. Some more lax coverage found Dawson Mercer the beneficiary at the net front for their third goal. And New Jersey capped off their rally a few seconds later with Jack Hughes converting on a sharp angle shot at the side of the net. A Nathan MacKinnon power play goal restored order and put the Avalanche back up 6-4 by the conclusion of the second period.

Now the game truly was over as there was nothing more to do than for Victor Olofsson to complete his hat trick in the third period with one on the power play and the other with just a few minutes left in the game. Markstrom was left in net for the entire bloodbath and the Avalanche sealed their 8-4 victory.

Takeaways

The Rematch Prophecy™ strikes again. The principle states that in a quick rematch between two teams the opposite result is expected. That came true in both losses to Utah and Boston last week but also meant the Avalanche should have expected good fortune after their loss in New Jersey for the second part of the home-and-home, and that they did.

Getting to face a rusty goalie was helpful to get both the power play and some secondary scoring some momentum, hopefully it can carry forward to this weekend’s back-to-back. The defense didn’t get to eat much in this contest, they are next to get back on track.

Upcoming

A couple days off and then another potentially spooky weekend back-to-back starting with the Vegas Golden Knights at 2 p.m. MT on Friday, October 31st aka Halloween.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...on-hat-trick-fuels-avs-over-devils-in-rematch