I don’t think many people had the Anaheim Ducks leading the Pacific Division on their 2025-26 NHL season bingo card. Still, here we are, and here they go, testing the Colorado Avalanche and their one regulation loss tonight at Ball Arena in Denver, CO. Colorado secured at least a point in all six home games this season, and the Ducks have won nine of their last ten and seven in a row. The Avs are on a three-game winning streak of their own; still, someone has to lose tonight. Who’s it gonna be?
To put it plainly, the Colorado Avalanche have looked every bit of the Stanley Cup contender they set out to be. Sure, it’s early, but the boys in burgundy and blue are already 1/4 of the way to a fifth consecutive 100+ point season. It’s been good early because the Avalanche have seen elite performances from the likes of MacKinnon, Makar, and Necas, while emphasizing the defensive end and capitalizing on depth contributions. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but that last sentence could be used to describe the 2022 Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche team. I swear that’s not the only card in my deck!
One of the key factors in being a Stanley Cup contender is getting contributions from young players and from those on highly affordable contracts. So far, that’s been Gavin Brindley who tallied the game-winning overtime goal against Vancouver last time out. Another standout in that regard has been Victor Olofsson, who has indeed emerged as Mr. Goalofsson in Colorado. Hopefully, they continue to surpass expectations.
Wouldn’t you know it, this just hit the news wire:
Hard to tell who will get the start in net for the Avalanche tonight, with intended back-up Scott Wedgewood still looking good and securing wins. It might be a good night to slot Wedgwood back in the crease with Blackwood securing the victory, but seemingly still shaking off some cobwebs against the Canucks.
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Ross Colton — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Gabe Landeskog — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly — Zakhar Bardakov — Gavin Brindley
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Jack Ahcan — Sam Malinski
Scott Wedgewood
MacKenzie Blackwood
The Ducks have come out downright mighty with 11 wins in 15 contests and a goal differential of +17 so far. It may come as a surprise to some, but on paper, this Ducks roster does look like a playoff team, and perhaps one that can steal the Pacific Division from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier lead the way in terms of point-getting, posting 25 and 20 points, respectively. Troy Terry might not be the best player on the team anymore, and when that’s true, you probably have a darn good group.
Lukas Dostal has been great in net for the Ducks as well, posting a .908 SV%, but there are a couple of things the Avalanche should look to cash in on. The Ducks have been penalized a lot in this short season and have been involved in some high-scoring games. The Avalanche can slow the Ducks down while having the firepower to keep up if those efforts aren’t successful. Translation: Tonight’s game is gonna be fun to watch!
