Colorado is 2-3-1 in its past six games, which includes the worst loss of the season.
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Denver. The Colorado Avalanche has a chance to end any doubt about the Central Division race well before the end of the regular season, but there’s something more important on the short-term to-do list.
It’s time for the Avs to snap out of the closest thing to a funk this team has encountered this season. Colorado is 2-3-1 in its past six games, which includes the worst loss of the season — a 7-3 defeat Saturday night against Nashville at Ball Arena. There are 31 other teams in the NHL that would love to have 2-3-1 be its worst six-game stretch of the season. But, the Avs are playing a game against other things now beyond wins and standings points — their top opponents are complacency and bad habits. “Our team has showed that they can respond to coaching on video and dialing in on the details of our game,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “They’ve done it all year, get focused and prepared to play. No question, the last couple games we haven’t done that for a full 60 the way we’d like to. But we’ve talked about a handful of things that we want to improve on that help us play to our identity, and we expect it to be implemented tomorrow.”. He didn’t like what he saw against Nashville, nor the negative trends that have developed over the past six games. The Avs still have a positive goal differential during this “slump,” having outscored their opponents 21-19. But there are plenty of signs that this team isn’t firing at optimal levels like it was for the first 40 games. Colorado is 16th in expected goals for percentage over the past 15 days, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Avs have been pacing the league in that metric all season, and still do, but this stretch is not close to their standard. The penalty kill has remained strong, and while the power play has shown flickers of improvement, Colorado has scored just one more goal than its allowed while playing with the extra man in this stretch. A silver lining during this mini-slump is the top two teams chasing the Avalanche in the Central Division and Western Conference are also stuck in the midseason mud. Minnesota is now 5-4-4 in its past 13 games, which began with a 5-1 thumping by Colorado. The Wild have won just two games in regulation in nearly a month. Dallas, which has been the No. 2 team in the division, conference and NHL standings for months, is struggling even worse. The Stars are 2-6-4 in their past 12 games, and have scored one goal in each of the past three games. Colorado will welcome the Washington Capitals to Ball Arena on Monday afternoon, and the Avs will begin the day with an 11-point lead on both Dallas and Minnesota in the Central and Western Conference standings. The Avs also have three games in hand on both clubs.Jared Bednar not happy after Avalanche’s 7-3 loss: “I hated that game from start to finish”Avalanche players still keep an eye on former teams: ‘You pay attention to your buddies’If Bednar’s team can get back on track this week, with three more games at home, there’s a chance the Avs could make it all but impossible for Dallas or Minnesota to catch them after the Olympic break., you can get off the things that make you successful,” Bednar said. “We’ve done that recently, so now we have to dig in and fight for it and get it back. It’s mimicking what you’re going to see in the playoffs. “You have to be able to respond and bounce back to get back to the things that make you successful. It’s no different now, just on a bigger window of time. There’s no need to panic, but we do have to start playing the right way for longer stretches during a hockey game in order to win.”Devon Toews and Joel Kiviranta skated before Avs practice Sunday. Bednar said both players have now skated for two consecutive days, but there’s no update on a timeline for their return. They, along with captain Gabe Landeskog, are all week-to-week with injuries, though the Avs expect Toews and Kiviranta back sooner and to have no issues with representing their countries at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.Shelter-in-place near DU lifted; Denver sent alert to 'broader area than intended'Parker Gabriel’s 7 Thoughts after Broncos’ wild OT win vs. Bills, including why Sean Payton trusts Jarrett Stidham Parker Gabriel's 7 Thoughts after Broncos' wild OT win vs. Bills, including why Sean Payton trusts Jarrett StidhamKeeler: If Broncos' Jarrett Stidham can be steady as Marvin Mims, Denver will be OKHow it Happened: Broncos beat Bills in overtime thriller to advance to AFC championship game
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Richardson Highway Closed Due to Severe Winter Weather and AvalancheThe Alaska Department of Transportation closed a significant portion of the Richardson Highway on Thursday night due to severe winter weather, including strong winds, blowing snow, and reduced visibility. An avalanche further complicated the situation, leading to the closure of the highway through Thompson Pass. Transportation officials are urging travelers to plan ahead and monitor conditions.
Read more »
27 Princess Bride Facts That Are InconceivableThe movie actually saved someone in an avalanche.
Read more »
Lightning coach Jon Cooper knows what Avalanche needs — a little adversityNo one has described this Colorado Avalanche season better than Jon Cooper.
Read more »
Caleb Williams presents an elusive challenge for Jared Verse, Rams' defense in their playoff meetingWhen Jared Verse begins to elaborate on the methodology of sacking Caleb Williams, it's quickly obvious the Rams star edge rusher has been thinking about this monumental task quite a bit.
Read more »
Sixers guard Jared McCain assigned to the Delaware Blue CoatsThe second-year guard has seen his rotation minutes diminish in recent games. He averaged 6.3 points on 35.4% shooting in 30 games.
Read more »
Sixers Assign Jared McCain to the G League for the Second TimeIn hopes of getting Jared McCain's sophomore season on track, the Sixers assigned him to the Delaware Blue Coats on Saturday.
Read more »