Erik Johnson – C I liked EJ jumping into the play in this one, as his pinches were better timed overall. His defensive game I thought was a little off the mark. One thing I don’t understand, and it could be the coaches choice here, but EJ taking a near three minute shift when the Canucks had their net empty.…...

Sports justice is one of those things that sometimes you have to wait years for. As a Kansas basketball fan, nothing was more cathartic than watching the Jayhawks blow out their former head coach who had stabbed them in the back and left them in the lurch after the 2003 season. It was perfect sports karma but we had to…...

The denizens of the Pepsi Center have a trick in common that could have only come from the very top. They were built with patience and time. Good things come when you exercise patience over time… Just ask Andy Dufrense. Patience is a difficult skill to master. It was never a personal strength growing up, but one of my grandparents had…...

Erik Johnson – F EJ picked up an assist after Mike Smith flubbed his shot from the point, but it was a rough one overall. His gaps were far too big against a guy like McDavid, who will eat you alive. He was on the ice for five of the six Edmonton goals. Kevin Connauton – D For me, it…...

Such is the nature of professional sports. Two nights ago, a fairy tale. Tonight, a nightmare. Fresh off a 40-save performance that doesn’t technically count as a shutout but absolutely should, Adam Werner never stood a chance tonight in Edmonton in a 6-2 loss against an Oilers team angry coming off a blowout loss and looking to get their mojo…...

Allie Monroy and Nathan Rudolph discuss the Colorado Avalanche three game winning streak, Adam Werner’s performance in net, Cale Makar being amazing, and more! https://youtu.be/0P0gy17hkEw

As sample sizes start to become a lot more indicative of play the Avs first-year players, be it pro, NCAA, or otherwise have really started to shine. Prospect of the Week: Adam Werner – G (Colorado Avalanche) round 5, pick 131, 2016 Games Played Wins Losses OTW OTL Save % GAA 1 1 0 0 0 100 0.00 Werner is…...

Before we begin, a quick question for the class. In the last 20 years, how many full-time NHL goaltenders have the Colorado Avalanche drafted and developed on their own?

Anyone? Bueller?

The correct answer would be...one. That goalie was Peter Budaj, drafted in the second round, all the way back in 2001. While Budaj was never able to establish himself as a full-time starting goaltender, he did carve out a very long career as a dependable backup for several teams in the NHL. Between 1998 and 2015, the Avs drafted 16 goaltenders, with Budaj being the one big success story.

Erik Johnson – D Every time EJ would make a strong defensive play, he would put it in someone’s skates, miss a pass completely, or turn it over. He made a brutal turnover up the middle in the second period to Patrik Laine and was bailed out by…checks notes…Adam Werner? Cale Makar – A+ How do you explain it at…...

“Next man up.” One of the most reliable axioms across all sports is the idea that when injuries strike, whoever steps in as the replacement has to keep the ball rolling. Life is hard and there’s no time to feel sorry for yourself in pro sports when there’s always a tomorrow to be worried about. When Philipp Grubauer went down…...

Colorado’s 4-2 win over Columbus was an entertaining hockey game full of highlights. The Avalanche came back from a 2-1 deficit period in the second period to earn their second straight home win. That deficit is where we begin with this edition of Avalanche Film Room. Trailing 2-1 halfway through the second period, Colorado was pinned in their own end.…...

For the first time in a few weeks, Avs fans finally got a little bit of good news on the injury front on Saturday.

Philipp Grubauer, Mikko Rantanen, and Nikita Zadorov all hit the ice for the first time since their injuries, which is a step in the right direction.

Erik Johnson – B I feel like we’re at the point where if you don’t notice EJ out there, he’s doing his job, and he did that for over 23 minutes tonight. A quietly solid game from him. His guy ended up scoring on the first goal of the night, but that was a very flukey bounce to begin with.…...

One of the things I love most about watching sports is when you see a player who, even at the highest level, does things other players simply cannot. We are into the seventh season of watching Nathan MacKinnon so it’s easy to take him for granted at times but he certainly stands out as one of the NHL’s bests.…...

The hits keep coming. The Avalanche held an optional practice on Friday, but the big news of the day came after practice when coach Jared Bednar announced Nikita Zadorov would be out “indefinitely” due to the injury he suffered from taking a puck to the face in Thursday’s blowout victory over Nashville. While Bednar did not confirm the injury itself,…...

Entering tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators, the Avalanche had absolutely nothing going for them. Injuries to 25% of their forward corps and, as of today, their starting goaltender, had found a home in Colorado’s dressing room. They had lost five straight games, essentially giving back the gains they made with their league-leading hot start. And they were playing a…...

Erik Johnson – A EJ showed tonight he’s still got some offensive goods if he chooses to use them. He gave Watson the old shimmy before going around him and having Donskoi deflect his shot into the net. The first two assists of the season for EJ in this one. Cale Makar – A+ Someone had to set the tone…...

Allie Monroy and Nathan Rudolph discuss the Avs recent five game losing streak, what they need to do moving forward, and more. https://youtu.be/hvS9G70GxME

WINDSOR, CO. – When the Texas-born, Calgary-raised Logan O’Connor signed an entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche in 2018, few knew at the time bypassing his senior season at the University of Denver would result in playing with the city’s big club by the end of the year. While it was only a five-game spell in the NHL, O’Connor went…...