Nathan MacKinnon split two New Jersey defenders at the red line, cut into the slot, and beat Jake Allen under the glove. Thirty seconds later, Jaden Schwartz made it 5-1, and Ball Arena could finally relax.
Wednesday’s four-goal third period against the Devils lifted Colorado to 7-5-1. It also capped a week that summed up the Avalanche’s October: dominant one night, exposed the next.
A week of mixed signals in Denver
The week opened with a 6-3 win over Tampa Bay on Friday. MacKinnon had a goal and three assists, Nazem Kadri scored his first of the season, and Jared Bednar called it “probably our most complete effort of the year.”
Two nights later in Nashville, that effort vanished. The Predators scored four power-play goals on seven chances in a 6-2 rout. Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos each scored twice, and Nashville outshot Colorado 35-21. The Predators’ general manager, Chris MacFarland, used to run the Avalanche.
Wednesday brought a response. Connor Brown’s short-handed goal put New Jersey ahead before Gabriel Landeskog tied it on the power play. In the third period, Kadri, Parker Kelly, MacKinnon and Schwartz scored in a span of under 10 minutes.
Milestones and a new worry
Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves in his 300th NHL game. Brent Burns reached 950 career points, passing Erik Karlsson and Chris Chelios for 10th among defensemen in league history, and Landeskog became the franchise’s all-time hits leader.
The concern is Josh Manson. The defenseman left in the first period with a lower-body injury after falling awkwardly on a missed check, which thins a blue line already struggling to kill penalties.
Where the division race stands
Last season’s 121-point Presidents’ Trophy winners entered the campaign determined to atone for that Western Conference Finals humbling against Vegas. One month in, they sit fourth in the Central.
The gap is only five points, with a game in hand on Minnesota. Still, the concerns raised earlier this month haven’t gone away. So how is the market reading this race?
Team | Games Played | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota Wild | 14 | 9-3-2 | 20 |
Utah Mammoth | 13 | 8-5-0 | 16 |
Dallas Stars | 12 | 7-4-1 | 15 |
Colorado Avalanche | 13 | 7-5-1 | 15 |
Nashville Predators | 12 | 4-3-5 | 13 |
Standings entering play on October 29.
Colorado Avalanche: Still favorites, but the cushion is thinning
Preseason prices made Colorado an overwhelming choice to repeat as Central champions. The latest NHL odds still have the Avalanche on top, but their price has lengthened again this week, even after the win over New Jersey. The market is rating Minnesota’s month more highly than Colorado’s highlight reel.
The numbers explain the caution. Colorado is 5-1-1 at home but 2-4-0 on the road, and the penalty kill has become a genuine liability. The offence isn’t the problem: Artturi Lehkonen is tied for the NHL lead in high-danger goals and reached double figures in goals before November.
For anyone reading futures as a test of judgment rather than a hunch, this is the key question. Is a team with Colorado’s scoring depth and a 302-goal track record really a coin flip in its own division? Or is the defensive slippage structural?
Minnesota Wild: Shortening with every Kaprizov goal
Kirill Kaprizov has 14 goals in 14 games. He is only the eighth player in NHL history to score at least 14 in a single October, and only Mario Lemieux and Brett Hull have scored more in that month. Minnesota hosts the Islanders on Thursday, so he has one more chance to add to it.
The Wild have won three straight and went 3-1-1 on a five-game western road trip without Brock Faber, Filip Gustavsson, Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno. Quinn Hughes has 18 points from the blue line, and Jesper Wallstedt is 8-2-2.
Minnesota is allowing just 2.21 goals per game, third-best in the league. Its division price has tightened steadily, and the Wild are now the clear second choice, close enough to overtake Colorado with another strong week.
Dallas Stars: Oettinger keeps them within reach
Dallas is level with Colorado on 15 points, with a game in hand. Jake Oettinger is the reason: he is 6-2-1 with a 1.43 goals-against average, a .929 save percentage, and three shutouts in nine games.
Connor Hellebuyck’s trade from Winnipeg to New Jersey has also removed his main rival for the title of best goaltender in the division. Dallas has scoring through Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, and Roope Hintz, though the power play still sputters.
Tuesday’s 5-1 home loss to the Devils was a reminder that goaltending alone won’t win the division. The market has the Stars virtually inseparable from Utah in the next tier.
Utah Mammoth: Goals galore, questions without the puck
Utah’s attack is producing. The Mammoth average 3.62 goals per game, and their power play converts at 34.8 percent. Statement results such as the 4-2 win in Edmonton that snapped the Oilers’ five-game winning streak show what this group can do.
The other side of the puck is less convincing. Utah is allowing 3.31 goals per game, and its penalty kill sits near the bottom of the league at 67.4 percent.
What November could decide
The Wild’s five-point lead looks solid now, but Minnesota has played 10 of its 14 games on the road. Its schedule should get easier from here, and so should Colorado’s if it can bring its home form on the road.
For the Avalanche, the recipe is simple: tighten the penalty kill, get Manson healthy, and turn high-scoring nights into a run of consistent wins. The talent to reclaim the Central is still in Denver. What the next month will show is whether it can play like the team that was so far ahead of the division last season.
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