The new year brings a new edition to our Colorado Avalanche check-in, this time taking place over 11 games in December and January. We will include one extra game in the review after the recent back-to-back matches.

Of course, the good, the bad, and the ugly reared their heads throughout these matchups. The Avs, even in 2026, still require some adjustments, despite dominating the league.

The good

The wins just keep on coming. Before Sunday night’s loss against the Florida Panthers, the Avalanche had won 10 games in a row for the second time this season.

Thanks to this, they sit atop the Central Division and the league with 69 points. The Dallas Stars keep on falling, most recently in an overtime loss on home ice against the Montreal Canadiens. With games in hand against them and the Minnesota Wild, Colorado still reigns supreme, sitting nine points clear of the rest.


Plus, the wins keep coming in different ways. They can dominate, as they did with four goals in 4:39 in a standout win against the St. Louis Blues on New Year’s Eve. They can come back with four goals in the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers. Finally, they can grind out wins when it’s tough, like their victory before Christmas against the Utah Mammoth.

Of course, goaltending has helped with it despite Olympic snubs for Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood. The defense has stepped up, too, with standout performances as of late from Sam Girard and Sam Malinski.

Also, the top players keep on performing. Nathan MacKinnon has 23 points in the last 11 matchups. Martin Necas has 12 in the same time span. Valeri Nichushkin also has 12 points, but has also been a force on the forecheck, which haven’t been credited to him as points but have led to opportunities.

The team has been clicking in almost all facets of the game. It’s been near perfect for the Avs, with plenty to like as of late.

The bad

Usually reserved for this or “The Ugly” section, the power play still sits here. However, it hasn’t been as bad as it was in the past. Two power-play goals on Saturday propelled them to a win in Raleigh. But once again, it was only two of six power-play goals scored in 11 games. They had 37 opportunities and started out 1-for-14 in the first four games of this stretch.

A 16% power play in these 11 games is just below their average on the season, where they’re still a measly 26th-best in the league. There have been some better moments, but it is still far below the expectations considering the talent of the team.

Some movement has come between the units, and frustrations have boiled over. Jared Bednar even addressed the power play in a press conference with his concerns as well.

Certainly, he, the fans, and the entire organization are still traumatized by how last season ended because of the man advantage’s pitfalls. Fixes have to come to kill off their prey, even with the brilliant play at 5-on-5.

The ugly

Particularly in the last three games, ghosts of old have returned to the Avalanche: the injury bug. Against the Vegas Golden Knights, Joel Kiviranta took a hard hit and has not played since then. He currently has a lower-body injury hoping to return later this week.

On New Year’s Eve, Gavin Brindley dealt with some sort of issue and was checked out after the game. He missed the game in Carolina but has since returned to the lineup.

But the biggest injuries have come to several important people. Three injuries to three key players in particular may just have a big, lasting impact – and not in a good way.

The really ugly

MacKenzie Blackwood went on injured reserve after he tweaked something in practice last Thursday. His lower-body injury, however, is hopeful to be resolved before the start of the upcoming home stand.

Devon Toews had his own issues against the Canes. Nikolaj Ehlers tripped him and went feet-first hard into the boards, requiring attention. Although he returned to the game later in the third period, he was unavailable to play the next night in Florida.


In Florida, there was a huge scare and gasp when Gabriel Landeskog went down hard. He toe-picked going to the net and crashed hard into the post. He required assistance getting up and did not return to the game. After the game, Bednar said he and Toews would miss some time, possibly putting their Olympic hopes and seasons in jeopardy.

Particularly for Landeskog, there is an obvious concern with his knee and its history. However, they have announced since then that the captain has an upper-body injury. There should still be some concern regardless, as he was not putting pressure on his leg getting off the ice. Nonetheless, whatever the issue may be, his absence will be largely felt, as it has been for the last few years. How the team responds will be critical in the next month before the Olympic break.

Of course, this season has begun without Logan O’Connor. He’s still been out all year and is seemingly not anywhere close to returning. Bednar said it doesn’t look good for him to return anytime soon. The organization might have to decide soon whether to shut him down for the year and utilize his money by the trade deadline, or keep pushing for a late-season or playoff return.

What’s next?

Overall, the Avs have been relatively healthy, all things considered, this season. But if things like this keep popping up as they have been, it’s certainly going to be an ugly fall back to reality for Colorado.

However, they’ll be looking forward to wrapping up their road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning. From there, a season-long eight-game home stand will be welcome before a few more games before the Olympic break.