Another 10-game stretch has come and gone for the Colorado Avalanche, past the conclusion of a crazy trade deadline day. That, plus the Olympic break, made the last 10 games for the Avs a stretch and a tale of two halves.

Therefore, it’s been a unique 10-game stretch for Colorado, still with plenty of takeaways. Here’s some more of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good

The record for the Avalanche is still good, as they went 8–2–0 in their last 10. They are in the middle of a five-game win streak, going six for their last seven.

This has been the toughest and most important stretch of the season. They’ve played top talent in pursuit of a Central Division title, beating both the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild beyond regulation in their last two games right after the deadline.


They also took it on the road against two Pacific Division hopefuls in the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. Before the break, they split with the Detroit Red Wings but also beat the San Jose Sharks.

Therefore, the results have still been good for Colorado, which holds a seven-point lead atop the division. A lot of their success has come from some key guys, such as Martin Necas.

Necas had a hot Olympic Games with Team Czechia and announced himself on the world’s stage. He’s carried the momentum from Milan-Cortina with 14 points in the last seven games. He also just played in his 500th career game.

Nathan MacKinnon has 11 points in six games after sitting out the first game after the break against the Utah Mammoth. Cale Makar has nine points in seven games and has been playing angrily alongside MacKinnon after Team Canada lost the gold medal game to Brock Nelson and Team USA.

The deadline

Colorado has loaded up post-trade deadline, too. Moves on the backend in this stretch saw Sam Girard depart for the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brett Kulak. Kulak has been a steady figure on the blue line, arguably better than it seemed he could be.

They also addressed more defensive depth at the deadline with the acquisition of Nick Blankenburg from the Nashville Predators. Depth was also added to the forward group with Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But the biggest move of all came at the 11th hour, right before the deadline: Nazem Kadri.

Kadri was acquired from the Calgary Flames for a couple of conditional picks, Max Curran, and Victor Olofsson. Without giving up a lot, the center depth for Colorado got instantly better.

In addition, Kadri already made an impact in his first game. Just like old times, he assisted MacKinnon on the opening goal on Sunday. His impact has already been felt on the ice, in the locker room, and in the stands.

The bad

While Colorado has been on a good winning streak and made some good moves, there are still some glaring flaws. The power play still remains an issue, but no need to beat a dead horse over it.

However, the two losses in this stretch weren’t pretty. A loss against Detroit and Minnesota right before and after the break, respectively, weren’t too kind. The Avs didn’t play their best game in either game.

Even the most recent wins against the Stars and Wild weren’t the best. Colorado required a comeback in Dallas, which saw Mackenzie Blackwood pulled after giving up four goals on 11 shots.

On Sunday against Minny, they almost blew their lead and their perfect 33–0 record when leading after two periods. Plus, they were a measly 0-for-5 on the man advantage and gave up a shorthanded goal. However, Scott Wedgewood was solid in both games.


The 5-on-5 game has faltered slightly, and the power play woes have continued. As long as the Avs nip those trends in the bud, it shouldn’t be an issue. Let them continue, though, and there could be issues in the next 10-game recap.

The ugly

Unfortunately, injuries will fall in the ugly category once again. Especially as of late, it has reared its ugly head against Colorado.

Most recently, Gabriel Landeskog was the latest subject ruled to miss time. He’s been ruled out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He took a shot from Makar in Dallas to the midsection just after recording his 600th career point. While he returned, he’ll sit out some time before coming back. Luckily, it appears he will return before the playoffs.


The same can be said about Artturi Lehkonen. He suffered an awkward upper-body injury against the Kings and didn’t return, and has also been ruled out week-to-week.

Plus, there have been a few other bruises for players who are playing through it. Joel Kiviranta was hurt with a concussion but has since returned to action.

Perhaps the most positive news in terms of injury has come from Logan O’Connor. He’s been skating with the team and doing well. Recently, Jared Bednar said he is hopeful to be an option soon. Whatever it means, his play and depth will help with a somewhat-depleted Avalanche side, thus far.

Up Next

Colorado will be playing every-other-day from here on out until the end of the month. Some key games in the next 10 games include the return of Girard and the Penguins on March 16 and on the road on March 24.

They will also play tougher Western Conference opponents such as the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. The latter of those two could be a first-round playoff preview.

Furthermore, another game against the Stars takes place at Ball Arena on March 18. Finally, they wrap up this next 10-game stint with a home-and-home against the Winnipeg Jets on March 26 and 28.