Avalanche Already Showing One Scary Sign Just 2 Games Into Season
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Just two games into the 2026-27 season and the Colorado Avalanche have already reminded the rest of the NHL just exactly how dangerous they can be.
It isn’t simply because they have already scored 14 goals (which is impressive).
Colorado followed up the chaotic 8-4 season opener with a considerably more complete 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
That should have the rest of the league’s attention.
The Avalanche scored eight times in Game 1 despite giving up four goals. Two of those were shorthanded goals, which was disappointing because the power play is where the team struggled last season.
Three nights later, and the problems disappeared.
"I can't think of one thing that we talked about after last game and went through that we didn't implement in our game and improve on," head coach Jared Bednar said after Saturday's win in the postgame interview.
That’s pretty significant.
Avalanche Cleaned Up Almost Everything
Bednar was particularly upset after Game 1 with the rush coverage. He described the effort as, “woof.”
Against St. Louis in Game 2, it was considerably different.
Colorado only allowed four shot in the first period while building a 2-0 lead. The Blues couldn’t find the net until Dalibor Dvorsky finally beat Mackenzie Blackwood 2:34 into the third period.
Bednar was quick to point out the difference.
"We were 100 times better off the rush," Bednar said. "We were closing plays out quickly in the [defensive] zone."
Bednar didn’t stop there. He also praised the team’s habits, the ability to get out of the defensive zone and the huge improvement in their rush coverage.
The result was a game that looked like a complete team, one that we would be proud to see in the playoffs.
The Avalanche didn’t have to outscore the mistakes, because they just didn’t make many.
Avalanche Offense Even Got More Lethal
Cleaning up defensively didn’t require the organization to become conservative.
Exactly the opposite, actually.
They came out gunning for goals.
Martin Necas scored twice and added an assist. Nathan MacKinnon recorded three assists. Artturi Lehkonen had a goal and an assist with Nicolas Roy and Josh Manson doing the same.
Cale Makar scored his first goal of the season. Together, Colorado’s top line of Lehkonen, MacKinnon and Necas combined for eight points.
The Avs had put up 14 goals through just two games, which ties the franchise record set by the 1992-93 Quebec Nordiques.
They have scored at least six goals in both games. Now, that pace isn’t sustainable, and it certainly is a small sample size, but it is fun to point out right now.
What matters most about what we have seen so far is that they are creating offense.
"I feel like when we play good defense, we don't spend much time in our own end," Necas said after the game. "And we have the firepower to create chances offensively. So, it starts in our own end, and then we go from there."
Blackwood Didn’t Need Eight Goals
Mackenzie Blackwood made sure the team didn’t need eight goals to record a victory. Blackwood stopped 25 of 26 shots on goal after he allowed four goals on 31 shots against Los Angeles.
The offense helped him out, as well. The team was up 6-0 before St. Louis finally got on the board.
That’s the formula this team would like to replicate time after time.
There really wasn’t a question whether or not Colorado had enough offense coming into the season. The question was whether the defense could hold off opponents when the team was having a slow offensive night.
Saturday provided an encouraging viewpoint.
Avalanche Adjustments Should Be Scary
It is just October, but we are full swing hockey and it’s exciting in Denver.
Two games won’t tell us what this team is going to look like in April, and don’t be fooled into thinking this team will be averaging seven goals per game.
The most impressive part of the 2-0 start is not the 14 goals. It is the adjustments made by this team in just two games.
Colorado’s first victory showed that the explosive offense is still there. The second win proved that they can identify their mistakes, go to work, and come back almost immediately with adjustments to fix the weaknesses.
Bednar summed it up best.
"The things that we liked out of the first game, they were multiplied in this one," he said. "And the things that we didn't like were so much better."
That’s an early-season development that should be getting the entire league should be paying attention to.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NHL, NCAA and WNBA. Laura covers the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Avalanche and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com