3 Things Avalanche Must Do to Avoid a Halloween Letdown Against Flames

The Colorado Avalanche need to have a strong showing on Halloween against the Calgary Flames. The team has a chance to silence some of the questions by building momentum after a strong performance. That’s something they haven’t done all season.

The New Jersey Devils fell to the Avalanche 5-2 on Wednesday. That’s exactly what Colorado needed to happen. Jared Bednar had issued a warning and the team responded.

Now the challenge continues, though. One game won’t answer all the questions. Colorado is going to need to keep repeating strong play for 60 minutes at a time if they are going to live up to the expectations surrounding them of being a Stanley Cup contender.

The Calgary Flames are headed into Ball Arena to face the Avalanche on a spooky Halloween night. With them comes a 6-7-0 record. They are also coming off an impressive 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Friday.

Colorado handled the Flames early in the season when they won 7-3 on October 8. Assuming anything about how Saturday’s matchup will end based on that first win would be a mistake.

These are three things Colorado needs to do to put another mark in the win column.

1. Find a Way to Replace Josh Manson’s Production

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just as the Avalanche were finally bringing back injured players and getting to full strength, a devastating blow was handed down.

Veteran defenseman Josh Manson suffered an ankle injury against the New Jersey Devils. After evaluation, coach Jared Bednar reported that Manson is expected to be out for approximately eight weeks.

That’s a significant loss of physicality and defensive stability.

Through the first 13 games of the season, Manson leads Colorado with 28 hits and ranks third in blocked shots with 17.

Noah Juulsen should get the opportunity to take over in Manson’s absence. Halloween night will be the first test to see how the defensive group will adjust without one of their key players on the ice.

Juulsen won't be expected to immediately replace Manson; that’s not realistic. What needs to happen is for the entire group to step up their physicality and take on more responsibility.

Calgary is going to be a significant test. They are coming off a six-goal effort against Seattle and have clearly proven that they can take advantage of a team that gives them opportunities.

The Avalanche cannot afford to make unnecessary defensive mistakes and give the Flames too many opportunities.

2. Make Calgary Pay in the Net

Looking at the two teams on paper, Colorado should have the offensive advantage. They need to take advantage of that and execute on the ice.

Even though there are questions surrounding Colorado and its performance so far, the team leads the NHL with 43 five-on-five goals through 13 games.

Nathan MacKinnon has 22 points so far, and Artturi Lehkonen is leading the team with 10 goals.

Calgary has had some difficulties in goal. Devin Cooley was placed on injured reserve Friday, which leaves Dustin Wolf as the primary option as goaltender.

There is an opportunity here for the Avalanche. Wolf is coming in with a 4.39 goals-against average.

Colorado did a good job of offensive explosion in their first meeting by scoring seven times. Two of those goals came from Cale Makar.

That’s no guarantee coming into Saturday’s game, though. Colorado should be confident they can generate scoring opportunities, but they are going to have to stay aggressive on the ice and execute.

The Avalanche need to continue their strong offensive performances. They outshot New Jersey 44-22 on Wednesday.

3. Prove Wednesday’s Performance Wasn’t a Fluke

This has been the issue early on in the 2026-27 campaign for Colorado.

The Avalanche can be one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams when they come out strong and play with urgency. They have also proven they can come out flat and slow. You never know which version of the team is going to show up.

Bednar had seen enough after their loss to Nashville and publicly noted that the motivation to win had to come from within. He expected his veterans to show up and be leaders.

Wednesday was encouraging but not yet convincing.

The entire lineup contributed to the win, with the defense being effective and the offense producing. Now, the key will be repeating those results day in and day out.

Calgary is entering the second phase of a back-to-back. Colorado has had two days off. This is a significant advantage, and it will be disappointing if the Avalanche don’t come out strong early in the game.

So far, Ball Arena has been good to Colorado this season. At home, the Avalanche are 5-1-1 and they have won the last three consecutive games.

A win on Halloween could give the team two more points, but the most important takeaway will be consistency.

Colorado has a very specific challenge ahead of this game, and it’s not beating the Flames. It is proving that they can keep producing championship-level effort game after game.

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