How to End a Calendar Year
A look at how the Colorado Avalanche ended 2025 in grand fashion
Happy New Year, all! And that "all" includes my fellow fans of the Colorado Avalanche!
Boy, did we end 2025 on a winning note! We had five games left in the calendar year... and we won them all! First off, we defeated the Minnesota Wild in grand fashion, and that was beautiful, because those Wild were sure excited after the team got Quinn Hughes. And why wouldn't they be? He's a star on the blue line. Of course, they had to realize that they only have the second-best defenseman in the league, because as good as Hughes is, he's no Cale Makar.
The Avs thrashed the Wild, 5-1, in Minnesota on December 21, and two days later, we were back home against another divisional foe in the form of the Utah Mammoth. This one was much closer: 1-0. Samuel Girard was the only player with a point, as the goal he scored was unassisted. A nice divisional win for us entering the holiday break. Our first game after the break saw us in Sin City, and behind for most of the game. Down 2-0 in the second, but goals from Girard and Martin Necas evened it up. However, we trailed 4-2 after 40 minutes. Necas and Nathan MacKinnon tied it up, but with 4:00 let, Colton Sissons struck. Down one and with the extra attacker on, it was Artturi Lehkonen who tied it up (not the first time he's plagued Vegas!). Nothing in OT, but the shootout saw us actually win it, and MacKinnon had the winner.
The Avalanche won a shootout! A late Christmas miracle!
Next up, the Avs returned home for the final two games of the calendar year, beginning with a Monday meeting with the Los Angeles Kings. The Avs struck first in the opening period, and then we poured it on later, resulting in a 5-2 victory. Five different Avs with a goal, including Necas, who had three in a two game span. Finally, on New Year's Eve, the Avs faced the St. Louis Blues, and boy was that fun. Four goals in the first period within the first five minutes! MacKinnon had two, Valeri Nichushkin had two. Oh, and the Blues didn't have a shot on goal at that time. Brock Nelson remained red hot with a goal in the 2nd, and it was Nichushkin who completed the Hat Trick for a 6-1 victory!
30 wins. The Avalanche won 30 games before 2026 was rung in. We reached 30 wins in our 39th game. That matches two other franchises for the second-fastest to 30 wins, with only the Bruins from three years ago getting there faster (38 games). We've won nine straight games again! We still have only two losses in regulation. We are at least 10 points ahead of everybody else in the league. We are on pace to win 64 games this season, which obliterates our franchise record and is one short of the NHL record.
I said earlier in the season that Gabriel Landeskog being back has to be the difference maker, but it has to be more than that. The goaltending is much better. The goals are coming in a level that is ridiculous, even by Avs standards. I think this is more than just Our Captain being back. I think we're still pissed over how last year ended. The loss to Dallas, the refs sabotaging us in that series, and being humiliated by Mikko Rantanen in Game Seven. We definitely took that personally.
And during all of this, Nathan MacKinnon reached yet another milestone: 400 goals. Well, 401 to be exact. Is there anything that man can't do?
The Avalanche's first game of 2026 is on Saturday, kicking off a three game road trip through the former Southeast Division. We are in Raleigh facing the Hurricanes, then we will be off to Sunrise against the Panthers on Sunday, and the trip concludes in Tampa against the Lightning. After that, it's a massive seven-game homestand. WOW!
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About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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