The Colorado Avalanche get a quick chance to answer a team that’s been finding its footing. Calgary comes into Ball Arena on Saturday, October 31, with some momentum, but Colorado has been tough to handle at home and is coming off a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.
That victory pushed the Avalanche to 7-5-1 and extended their home winning streak to three games. The Flames arrive at 6-7-0, and while they’ve shown flashes of real progress, their road record still tells a rougher story. Calgary is 1-4-0 away from home, and this trip to Denver is a much steeper test than what it has faced in recent days.
These teams already met once this season, and Colorado handled it in a big way. The Avalanche beat the Flames 7-3 on October 8, with Cale Makar scoring twice. Calgary has looked better since then, but trying to slow Colorado in Denver is a different kind of assignment.
The Flames have pieced together some encouraging results. They rattled off three straight wins over Minnesota, Detroit and Toronto before getting shut out 4-0 by Edmonton on October 28. They responded well Friday with a 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken, with Dustin Wolf stepping in for the injured Devin Cooley.
That means Colorado is dealing with a team on the second night of a back-to-back, which gives the Avalanche a clear advantage. Still, the Flames are not the same group they were when these teams first met. Their 5-2 win over Toronto stood out as a sign they can hang with teams that have playoff ambitions, even if that level hasn’t traveled with them.
Special teams could swing this one. Calgary’s power play is clicking at 33%, but the Flames also spend too much time in the penalty box. That’s a dangerous habit against a Colorado team that can make opponents pay when the whistles start piling up.
There are also a few Calgary skaters worth watching. Matvei Gridin has put up five goals and five assists, and Aydar Suniev has added offense over the past 10 games. If the Flames are going to keep up, they’ll need that kind of production again.
Colorado has its own injury questions to manage. Josh Manson is expected to miss an extended stretch with an ankle injury, Zachary L'Heureux remains sidelined with an upper-body issue, and Logan O'Connor’s status is still something to watch after he missed Friday’s practice for personal reasons.
The Avalanche also recalled Gavin Brindley from the Eagles on Friday, though there’s no sign he’ll suit up Saturday night. Noah Juulsen is expected to take Manson’s spot, likely on the left side with Brent Burns on the right in the third pair.
In net, Jared Bednar may turn to Scott Wedgewood, especially with Colorado set to play again Monday night in Chicago. Wedgewood started the last meeting with Calgary, so this would not be unfamiliar territory for him.
In Other News...
Avalanche Are Suddenly In The Mix For A Massive Lineup Upgrade
A seismic name has entered the conversation around Colorados forward group, and it is the kind of possibility that can instantly reshape a contenders outlook. Nikita Kucherov reportedly told the Tampa Bay Lightning he will not re-sign there and has asked for a trade, which has naturally set off speculation about where one of the leagues premier offensive players could land. For the Avalanche, the fit is obvious enough to at least make people pause, especially with a roster that is built to win now and still has room for another high-end piece.
Of course, the path from rumor to reality would not be simple. Any move for Kucherov would come with major trade cost and the added challenge of sorting out a new contract, two hurdles that can quickly turn a dream upgrade into a complicated negotiation. Still, for a team already operating in Stanley Cup mode, even being mentioned in this kind of sweepstakes says plenty about where Colorado stands and how aggressively it may be willing to chase another difference-maker. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Prospects Are Forcing A Tough Decision In Denver
The Colorado Eagles have opened the 2026-27 AHL season in a way that has plenty of people in Denver paying attention. At 6-3-1 through 10 games, they sit atop the Pacific Division, and a big reason is the kind of production the Avalanche like to see from their prospects. Goaltender Ilya Nabokov has given the Eagles steady play in net, while right winger Gavin Brindley has emerged as the teams points leader even with some time spent with the Avalanche.
Adam Beckman has added another layer to the conversation by pacing the Eagles in goals, giving Colorado a trio of young players making a strong case for bigger opportunities. For an Avalanche organization that has leaned on internal development before, this is the kind of early-season momentum that can create real pressure on roster decisions later on. The challenge now is not just watching these prospects perform in the AHL, but figuring out how soon their play forces the issue in Denver. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche Pick May Finally Be Becoming What Colorado Expected
Alex Newhook is starting to look more like the player the Avalanche had in mind when they made him a first-round pick, even if that progress is now happening in Montreal. He scored twice in the Canadiens 5-2 win over the Stars, his ninth multi-goal game in the NHL, and that kind of finish is the latest sign that his offensive game is settling in after a start to the season that has been steady rather than flashy.
For Colorado, Newhooks development always carried a little extra intrigue because the talent was obvious, but injuries and inconsistency slowed the climb. Now he has six points in 13 games and is building on the momentum he showed in last seasons playoffs, giving Montreal a winger who looks increasingly capable of producing on a regular basis. The question is no longer whether the skill is there, but how far his game can keep trending in this direction. [Read more 🡒]