Avalanche News

WESTERN CENTRAL

Scott Wedgewood • G • Avalanche

Scott Wedgewood Keeps Kraken From Scoring Thursday

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood recorded a 22-save shutout in Thursday's regular-season finale against the Seattle Kraken, backstopping the team to a 2-0 victory. The Avalanche did just enough to close out the campaign with a win, while resting some of its key players, such as Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. Colorado dominated the league during the regular season, finishing with the best record, the most goals scored, and the fewest goals allowed. The latter achievement brought Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood the 2025-26 William M. Jennings Trophy. Including six shootout deciders, the Avalanche netminders gave up only 203 goals during the season. Wedgewood finished the campaign with a 31-6-6 record, a 2.02 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage, and four shutouts.

3 days ago

Nathan MacKinnon • C • Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon Wins Rocket Richard Trophy With 53 Goals

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (rest) has become the second player in franchise history to lead the NHL in goals. He produced 53 goals in 80 games, winning the Rocket Richard Trophy by a two-goal margin over Montreal's Cole Caufield. Milan Hejduk was previously Colorado's lone Rocket Richard Trophy winner, having netted 50 goals in 2002-03. MacKinnon sat out the Avalanche's regular-season finale on Thursday against Seattle, finishing the campaign with 127 points. He will now start a chase for his second Stanley Cup. While Colorado hasn't had much joy in the playoffs since its triumph in 2022, MacKinnon's performance levels have remained high. He has posted 14 goals and 32 points across 25 games in the last three postseasons.

3 days ago

Josh Manson • D • Avalanche

Josh Manson Expected to Return for Postseason

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (upper body) is expected to rejoin the lineup at the start of the postseason, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports. Colorado will wrap up its regular-season schedule on Thursday night against Seattle, and Mason will remain out for a third consecutive game due to an upper-body injury. However, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar believes the team will be at full strength for Game 1 of the playoffs. Manson had his second 30-point campaign in 2025-26, with five goals and 26 assists in 79 outings. He finishes among the team leaders with a plus-42 rating, 99 blocks, and 174 hits.

3 days ago

Nathan MacKinnon • C • Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas Sit Out Regular-Season Finale

Colorado Avalanche forwards Nathan MacKinnon (rest) and Martin Necas (rest) won't suit up on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports. Colorado has decided to rest its two highest scorers for the regular season finale. Gabriel Landeskog might also join them on the sidelines, while Nazem Kadri (finger) has been ruled out for a fifth straight game. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar expects everyone to be ready for the start of the playoffs. Artturi Lehkonen, Brock Nelson, and Valeri Nichushkin are expected to form the first line on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the likes of Parker Kelly and Nicolas Roy could also take on more responsibilities.

3 days ago

Cale Makar • D • Avalanche

Cale Makar Returns With Three-Assist Performance

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (upper body) racked up three assists as he returned from a seven-game absence in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames. The Presidents' Trophy winners celebrated a road win after Artturi Lehkonen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan MacKinnon scored. This was Makar's second consecutive three-assist outing. With one more regular-season game to go, Makar has already secured a sixth consecutive campaign with a scoring average of at least one point per game. In 74 outings, he has tallied 20 goals and 58 assists. By his standards, Makar had a quiet postseason a year ago, with five points (one goal, four assists) in seven games, but only two blue-liners all-time have averaged more playoff points than him (1.08). An underwhelming postseason showing last year should serve as fuel for Makar to elevate his game this time.

5 days ago

Josh Manson • D • Avalanche

Josh Manson Suffers Upper-Body Injury Saturday

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (upper body) didn't finish Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Vegas, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports. The veteran blue-liner was limited to 11:48 of ice time due to an upper-body injury. Manson has been excellent at both ends of the ice for Colorado this season, recording 31 points (five goals, 26 assists), 99 blocks, and 174 blocks in 79 games. He leads all defensemen in the league with a plus-44 rating. Cale Makar (upper body) is expected to return to the lineup during the final week of the regular season and could take Manson's place.

Apr 12

Nazem Kadri • C • Avalanche

Nazem Kadri to "Miss Some Games" With Finger Injury

Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri (finger) could be done for the rest of the regular season. He injured a finger in Tuesday's win over St. Louis, and Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Kadri "will miss some games." Since rejoining Colorado from Calgary, Kadri has made 16 appearances for the Avalanche, recording nine points (four goals, five assists). Joel Kiviranta is expected to replace Kadri on the third line against Calgary on Thursday night. Zakhar Bardakov could also see some action while Kadri is on the mend.

Apr 9

Nazem Kadri • C • Avalanche

Nazem Kadri Suffers Upper-Body Injury Tuesday

Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri (upper body) was unavailable for most of Tuesday's 3-1 conference-clinching win over the St. Louis Blues. He took only seven shifts and logged 6:09 of ice time. The team ruled him out for the rest of the game at the start of the third period. Kadri has scored four goals and nine points in 16 games since rejoining the Avalanche in March. With Colorado sitting comfortably at the top of the Western Conference standings, it would make sense for the team if it didn't rush Kadri back during the regular season. Zakhar Bardakov and Joel Kiviranta will be options to enter the lineup on Thursday against Calgary if Kadri isn't healthy enough to face his former team.

Apr 8

Valeri Nichushkin • RW • Avalanche

Valeri Nichushkin, Nicolas Roy Available Tuesday

Colorado Avalanche forwards Valeri Nichushkin (upper body) and Nicolas Roy (upper body) will rejoin the lineup on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues. While Nichushkin returns from a one-game absence, Roy has been unavailable for seven contests. Both players have been dealing with upper-body injuries. With Nichushkin back in the mix, Nazem Kadri will drop to the third line. However, Kadri will still have plenty of fantasy value thanks to his role on the first power-play unit. Roy will join Kadri on the third line alongside Ross Colton, but he hasn't made a significant impact in fantasy this season. Joel Kiviranta and Zakhar Bardakov will be scratched on Tuesday.

Apr 7

Cale Makar • D • Avalanche

Cale Makar Expected to Miss More Time

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (upper body) is going to miss "a few more games," according to head coach Jared Bednar. He will be absent for a fourth consecutive contest on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues. Bednar added that Makar will return before the end of the regular season, so it looks like the team will count on him for the final few games next week. The Avalanche are looking to clinch the Western Conference title on Tuesday, with Devon Toews and Sam Malinski playing larger roles on defense in Makar's absence.

Apr 7

Valeri Nichushkin • RW • Avalanche

Valeri Nichushkin Labeled Day-to-Day

Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin (upper body) is day-to-day, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports. He missed Sunday's loss to St. Louis due to an upper-body injury. However, it looks like Nichushkin could be available to re-enter the lineup for Tuesday's rematch between the teams. Nazem Kadri joined the top six on Sunday and will probably drop back to the third line if Nichushkin returns. Earlier this season, Nichushkin missed time due to a lower-body injury and personal reasons. He has been limited to 66 appearances. The Russian forward has totaled 15 goals and 30 assists.

Apr 6

Cale Makar • D • Avalanche

Cale Makar to Miss "Some Time"

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (upper body) won't play on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The star blue-liner was hurt on Monday against Calgary and will sit out his first game of the season. He may be unavailable for the rest of the week. "He's doing OK," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday morning. "He's going to miss some time, though. Like nothing serious, like nothing that's putting (the) playoffs in jeopardy or anything like that." Without Makar, the Avalanche defense must lean more on Devon Toews and Sam Malinski. Nick Blankenburg is set to take his place in the lineup.

Apr 1

Cale Makar • D • Avalanche

Cale Makar Sustains Upper-Body Injury Monday

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar suffered an upper-body injury in Monday's 9-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. After setting up three goals, Makar sat out the third period. The two-time Norris Trophy winner hasn't missed any games this season, but it's unclear whether he will be healthy enough to face the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night. It's been another huge campaign for Makar, who ranks third among defensemen with 75 points (20 goals, 55 assists) in 73 games. On the defensive end, he has recorded 117 blocks. Sam Malinski and Brent Burns will have bigger roles on defense if Makar misses additional time.

Mar 31

Nazem Kadri • C • Avalanche

Nazem Kadri Scores Twice in Blowout Victory

Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri scored two goals in a 9-2 dominating win over the Calgary Flames on Monday. The Canadian veteran has been playing well lately, riding a four-game point streak where he has two goals and three assists over that span. Kadri now has 16 goals and 50 points in 73 games, and he has been producing better since being traded to the Avs at the deadline. He will look to keep producing in the next game versus the Canucks.

Mar 30

Artturi Lehkonen • LW • Avalanche

Artturi Lehkonen Returns to Action Thursday

Colorado Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen (upper body) will rejoin the lineup on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports. The Finnish forward has been out for 11 games due to an upper-body injury. He will likely return to a top-six role, potentially bumping Ross Colton down in the lineup. Lehkonen has scored 19 goals and 42 points in 59 games this season. However, he has struggled with form since the Olympics, registering zero points over four appearances.

Mar 26

Nicolas Roy • C • Avalanche

Nicolas Roy to Be Out For "a Little Bit"

Colorado Avalanche forward Nicolas Roy (upper body) is set to miss time, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports. According to Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, the team will be without Roy "for a little bit." The 29-year-old has already missed one game, sitting out Tuesday's win over Pittsburgh. Since being acquired from Toronto, Roy has scored three goals on 17 SOG in nine appearances with the Avalanche. Fortunately for Colorado, Roy's absence has been offset by the returns of Ross Colton and Logan O'Connor. Both players were on the score sheet in Tuesday's 6-2 win.

Mar 25

Martin Necas • C • Avalanche

Martin Necas Scores Twice Against Penguins

Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas had two goals as the Avalanche dominated the Penguins by a score of 6-2 on Tuesday. He scored one goal in the first period and then another in the second to make it a 5-1 game. Necas is having a career year across the board with 34 goals, 54 assists, 88 points, and a plus/minus of plus-46. All those numbers are among the league's best.

Mar 24

Ross Colton • C • Avalanche

Logan O'Connor, Ross Colton Available Tuesday

Colorado Avalanche forwards Logan O'Connor (hip) and Ross Colton (upper body) will be in the lineup on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. O'Connor will make his season debut after recovering from offseason hip surgery, and Colton is returning to action after missing six games due to an upper-body injury. Colton will skate with Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin on the second line. Meanwhile, O'Connor will join the third line, linking up with Parker Kelly and Nazem Kadri. Nicolas Roy (upper body) isn't available on Tuesday, while Gavin Brindley will be a healthy scratch.

Mar 24

Ross Colton • C • Avalanche

Ross Colton Still Out Friday

Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton (upper body) is not ready to rejoin the lineup on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. He will be out of action for a fifth consecutive game due to an upper-body injury. Colorado's frontline will also remain without Gabriel Landeskog (lower body) and Artturi Lehkonen (upper body), though Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar expects the injured trio to return during the team's four-game road trip, which begins on Friday night. With several forwards on the shelf, Nicolas Roy will skate on the second line against Chicago, giving him more fantasy value.

Mar 20

Nathan MacKinnon • C • Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon Racks Up Four Points in Victory Over Kraken

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon factored in four goals during Thursday's 5-1 win over the Seattle Kraken. After being tossed from Tuesday's loss to Edmonton, MacKinnon responded with one goal and three assists. He already had three points before the first intermission, tying Alex Ovechkin for the fourth most three-point periods among active players. This was the 24th time MacKinnon had as many as three points in a single period. The Avalanche superstar is in a battle for the Art Ross and Rocket Richard Trophies. He has netted a league-high 44 goals in 63 appearances and is second in scoring with 108 points, just two behind Edmonton's Connor McDavid. MacKinnon has finished seven of his last 11 outings with multiple points.

Mar 13

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