The Colorado Avalanche are piling up goals at Ball Arena again, and Saturday night gave them a second straight home performance they can feel good about after a rough loss last Sunday night.
That’s the immediate takeaway from Colorado’s latest run in Denver: the offense was rolling, and the big names were front and center. The next step is obvious from here - carry that same level of play onto the road, or at least come close to matching it.
Elsewhere around the league, the Montreal Canadiens kept their winning streak alive, with Jacob Fowler continuing to stand out as one of the season’s brightest stories. In Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby added another NHL-best record to his résumé, even if the Penguins as a team didn’t back it up with a win.
The Red Wings had a tough one in Detroit, blowing a third-period lead against St. Louis. Even without Dylan Larkin, they still couldn’t get out of their own way.
In Philadelphia, two veteran forwards are closing in on returns for the Flyers, and that’s going to squeeze some of the younger players on the roster.
New Jersey’s early-season numbers are turning heads for both the sweet and the scary side of the Devils’ first 14 games.
And in San Jose, head coach Ryan Warsofsky was blunt about what he believes is holding the Sharks back right now. This was supposed to be the season they took another step. So far, it’s just not happening - at least not yet.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Have A Contract Question They Can't Ignore
Artturi Lehkonen has turned his contract year into one of the Avalanches early-season bright spots, and it is hard to miss why. Through the opening stretch, he has been scoring at a level that has him tied for second in the NHL goals race, while Jared Bednar has pointed to the same things Colorado has valued from him all along: the steady habits, direct style and consistency that keep his game effective night after night.
Lehkonen, for his part, has stayed on message and kept the focus where the Avalanche want it, on the team rather than the individual numbers. Still, when a player is producing like this in a contract year, it naturally raises the stakes for Colorado, which now has to weigh what his current form means for the bigger picture as the season develops. [Read more 🡒]
Blackwood Is Giving The Avalanche A Reason To Believe Again
MacKenzie Blackwood has given the Avalanche something they have been searching for amid an uneven start to the season: a dependable last line of defense. His save on Matt Coronato late in the first period helped preserve a 1-0 lead and underscored why Colorado has leaned on him so heavily when the rest of the team has been less consistent.
Blackwoods presence has changed the tone around the crease, and it has even sparked outside chatter about whether he belongs in the Vezina Trophy conversation. For a club trying to steady itself, that kind of impact matters beyond one highlight stop, because it gives Colorado a chance to stay in games while the rest of the roster sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Finally Got The Kind Of Win They Desperately Needed
After a rough stretch, the Avalanche got exactly the kind of response they needed at Ball Arena, putting together a complete 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames. Cale Makar drove the offense with four assists, Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, and Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas also found the net in a game that had the look of a team trying to reassert itself.
Mackenzie Blackwood did his part, too, turning aside 25 shots to help steady things behind a more assertive effort from Colorado. For a group that had been searching for a cleaner, more convincing result, this was the sort of night that can matter well beyond the standings, even if the bigger question is whether it can become the start of something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]