Cause for Concern As Avalanche Losses Pile Up

The Colorado Avalanche welcomed the Philadelphia Flyers to Ball Arena, expecting to gain a victory over their Eastern Conference foe. Instead, the Flyers left downtown Denver with a 7-3 win.

The Avalanche have now dropped four of their last five games and six of their last nine contests. After starting the new year with just two regulation losses and seven in overtime, the Avs now have a record of 34-6-9 with 77 points.

They are still the best team in the league. They lead the NHL in points and wins, and by all accounts, remain the Stanley Cup front-runner. But should the team begin to worry, or is this a rough stretch to get past?

The Goaltending Issue in Colorado

A huge part of their success, besides their superstar duo, is the surprising season from goaltender Scott Wedgewood. The veteran already has 20 victories and a 2.14 goals-against average. He's been locked in, but that isn't the case for the team's usual starter, Mackenzie Blackwood.

Injuries and inconsistencies have defined Blackwood's season after arriving in terrific fashion last year. After a couple of weeks out of the lineup, he returned for two recent contests and the results have been alarming.

Against the Nashville Predators, he allowed five goals on 28 shots faced. He followed that up by allowing six goals on 19 shots faced against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Maybe injuries are still bugging Blackwood, but the strength of the Avs' goaltending is having their tandem to rely on. Right now, everything rests on Wedgewood maintaining the best season of his NHL career. He's been excellent, but he's never started more than 32 games in a season. He's already at 30 starts, 49 games into Colorado's season.

Colorado Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewoo — Jan 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) makes a save in the second period against the Washington Capitals at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Will the Depth Hold Up?

The top of the Avalanche's lineup remains elite. Nathan MacKinnon is right at the top of the scoring race, and Cale Makar leads all defensemen in points and will be a Norris Trophy finalist once again.

Behind them, scoring options like Brock Nelson, Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin and Viktor Olofsson all have 10 or more goals. Even bottom-six forward Parker Kelly already hit the 10-goal mark.

The depth has been surprisingly productive behind MacKinnon and Makar, but can it hold up?

The Avs are relying heavily on Kelly and Jack Drury as their third and fourth-line centers. Both have had strong seasons, but the bottom-six depth could use reinforcements as they eye a long playoff run.

The Avs are 4-4-2 in their last 10. For most teams, that would be an acceptable, if not excellent, stretch of games. For Colorado, it shows some minor cracks in its armor. When their goaltending isn't locked down, and they can't rely entirely on their superstars for scoring, there is a way to beat this team. It's not time to panic, but there's some minor cause for concern.

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