Following a brief morning skate at Ball Arena, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar announced that star forward Nathan MacKinnon was ready to go tonight against the visiting Anaheim Ducks. Having MacKinnon in the lineup is a stroke of good fortune for the club after he was the recipient of a headshot by San Jose rookie Joachim Blichfeld halfway through the…...

Each team came into the game with the same 5-3 record. Minnesota, happy to be here after an unexpectedly strong start. Colorado, just finding its stride after a disappointing 3-3 start but feeling better about themselves. With division-leading Vegas idle due to COVID-related postponements, the Avs and Wild were battling to overtake the Golden Knights and put their mark on…...

This is the middle six the Avs are looking for. A goal-scoring spree to put some confidence in almost all of the Avs forwards as they bulldoze a sloppy Sharks team. https://youtu.be/IcJ3E0fkqF4

The entire Cale Makar experience was legitimately one of the more thrilling things I’ve had the pleasure of covering in my short career covering the Colorado Avalanche. From the draft to his UMass career, which started off with a “meh” freshman season, to leading the Minutemen to the national championship and playing in Game 3 of Colorado’s first-round series 48…...

“That’s what I want to do.” It was nothing short of a disastrous start for Brandon Saad in Colorado, scoring just one goal in his first six games and repeatedly being on the ice when the opposing team found the back of the net. Following a two-goal performance in Colorado’s 7-3 beatdown of the San Jose Sharks, Saad was upbeat…...

In terms of effort, this was the kind of game we expected to see a lot more of from the Colorado Avalanche this season. In terms of execution, this was the kind of game we expected would happen going against a goaltender of John Gibson’s ilk this season. The Avalanche outshot the Anaheim Ducks 33-15, allowing just a single shot…...

Bowen Byram was the spark for the Avs in the third period as Philipp Grubauer outdueled John Gibson in an overtime nail biter. https://youtu.be/kciBqU3CIZI

“He was definitely our best player on the ice.” When the guy who scores the game-winning goal in overtime has that definitive of a statement about your night, you know it’s been a good performance. There weren’t a lot of incredible, highlight-reel saves made by Philipp Grubauer as he stopped 36 of 38 shots from the Anaheim Ducks, but when…...

Despite the best efforts of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, the lackluster play of the Avs depth costs them what could have been a routine win. https://youtu.be/rMmpz4OR2OU

The way winning always papers over flaws is one of the more charming aspects of sports to me. When the outcome is what you set out to achieve, how you got there ends up being a justified journey, even if it wasn’t perfect. See Tuesday night’s win against Los Angeles as a good example of that for the Avalanche. They…...

Both Bowen Byram and Erik Johnson practiced with the team for the first time this season, kicking off speculation of when either might get into the lineup. As the Avs head to California for a four-game road trip, the lineup on defense is a major focus as Johnson is a proven regular and Byram is arguably the best defenseman in…...

The Avalanche finalized their opening night roster yesterday and officially announced it today. Because of salary cap restrictions, they are not utilizing the full 23-player allotment, instead going with 21 players but using a full six-player taxi squad. The breakdown of the roster is: 12 forwards Burakovsky MacKinnon Rantanen Saad Kadri Landeskog Nichushkin Compher Donskoi Jost Bellemare Calvert 7 defensemen…...

The dust has settled on the biggest U20 tournament of the year and after all four Avs prospects at the tournament played in the final match, the USA brought home the gold over Canada. The Avs players ranged from rock-solid to downright stunning throughout and on this edition of The Tape we breakdown some of their top plays. 1. Justin…...

The Avs have a number of young talented players trying to carve out an NHL role fore themselves coming into this season. Will Bowen Byram make the roster out of camp? Will Martin Kaut find his way to consistent playing time? These questions and many more answered on the Rookie Season Preview. https://youtu.be/Mj4h12YuFp4

When the Colorado Avalanche released their training camp roster on Saturday, there were very few surprises. No PTOs, no deals signed we hadn’t heard about, no shenanigans of any sort. Yet, at the very top sporting the new number four was Bowen Byram. Given he’s arguably the best defenseman in the world not currently in the NHL, it wasn’t a…...

When the NHL announced it had reached an agreement with the players on a plan for the upcoming season, one of the most intriguing details to emerge from the talks was the creation of a “taxi squad.” After watching MLB successfully use this concept to help make up for the lack of minor league play, the NHL has decided to…...

The World Junior Championships kick off next week on Christmas Day, the first meaningful competitive hockey most of us will get to enjoy since the end of the Stanley Cup Finals in late September. While the NHL and NHLPA continue working their way through the complicated details of the upcoming season, the hockey world gets to kick back and for…...

The top half of the Avs prospect pyramid may be the most crowded it’s ever been. With many graduations on the horizon now is the time to jump on the pyramid bandwagon. https://youtu.be/ir_ugg2AuBA

If the Avalanche offseason was a sitcom, it could be titled “But What About Bo?” The interest in what comes next for Bowen Byram, the fourth overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft and the guy who spent the first half of his return to the WHL last year appearing more bored than challenged by not making the NHL team,…...