The Colorado Avalanche have started to steady themselves, but November is going to say a lot more about who this team really is.
Colorado comes into the month with back-to-back wins for the first time since opening night, capped by Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames. There’s been enough good to make the picture look brighter: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are still driving the offense, Artturi Lehkonen keeps producing, and Mackenzie Blackwood has brought a needed sense of calm in goal.
Still, the next few weeks should reveal plenty.
The first thing to watch is the schedule itself. Colorado opens November with a tough run, starting with road games in Chicago on November 2 and Columbus on November 3 before coming home for Nashville on November 5 and Detroit on November 7. That back-to-back to begin the month will put the Avalanche’s legs and lineup depth to the test, and the games against Nashville and Detroit could be especially revealing because both teams have enough skill to punish mistakes.
Then comes the eastern swing. Colorado heads to Toronto on November 10, Ottawa on November 12 and Montreal on November 14, before seeing Montreal again at Ball Arena on November 25.
Those games should give the Avalanche a solid read on where they stand against some of the East’s more competitive teams. If Colorado wants to build real momentum, this is the kind of stretch where it has to stack together consistent nights.
The second major issue is on the blue line, where Josh Manson’s injury changes the equation. He is expected to miss about eight weeks with an ankle injury, and that leaves Colorado without one of its most physical and experienced defensemen. Manson leads the team in hits and gives the Avalanche a level of defensive reliability that isn’t easy to replace.
That opens the door for Noah Juulsen to take on a more regular role, while Brett Kulak could become even more important as the coaching staff reshuffles pairings. The bigger question is how much pressure this puts on Cale Makar and Devon Toews. Losing Manson is about more than just minutes; it’s about losing someone who can take on hard matchups, play with force and make life easier for everyone else on the back end.
If Juulsen and the rest of the depth group can hold the line, Colorado should be able to get through this stretch without too much damage. If they can’t, the Avalanche’s defensive depth could become a much bigger issue as the trade market starts to take shape.
The Canadiens games also stand out for a different reason. Montreal has won five straight despite being without captain Nick Suzuki, and that makes the two meetings with the Avalanche worth a closer look. Colorado visits Montreal on November 14 and then hosts the Canadiens on November 25.
Those matchups will show how the Avalanche handle a team that has found ways to keep winning even while dealing with significant absences. Montreal’s supporting cast has stepped up, and young players and veterans alike have helped keep the club competitive.
For Colorado, that makes the Canadiens a useful measuring stick. It’s still early, but November carries real weight.
Teams in a playoff spot by Thanksgiving make the postseason 75% of the time, and while there are always exceptions, that date has become the league’s unofficial checkpoint. The Avalanche’s playoff chances are hardly in doubt, but if they want to lock down a spot in a crowded Central Division, they need this month to show a more consistent version of themselves.
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 🡒]