The Colorado Avalanche are set to begin a new week, riding high atop the NHL standings. The Avs have a 12-point lead over the second-place Dallas Stars in league-wide standings. Colorado has a +80 goal differential and is currently riding a two-game winning streak.
The hiccup that was the back-to-back losses last week seems like a thing of the past. The Avs are riding high after blowing out the Ottawa Senators and barely breaking a sweat against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
So, let’s look to the week ahead in this edition of the Avalanche news.
Avalanche week ahead
The Avalanche will have a bit of a light week. The club will play twice, starting off with a Monday night tilt against the suddenly hot Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs were left for dead at the side of the road earlier this season. But they’ve rebounded of late, going 7-1-2 in their last 10, coasting on a three-game winning streak.
The Maple Leafs’ biggest turnaround has been its power play. At one point, it was last in the league, but has since rebounded following the firing of their power play coach.
Toronto has been getting solid goaltending, while several regular lineup players have been returning from injury. The Leafs aren’t exactly the most dominant team at the moment, but they should offer a pretty good test for the Avalanche.
A win would tie the Avs for the franchise record home winning streak at 18. So, there’s plenty of incentive to play an outstanding game.
The Avalanche will be off until Friday when they take on the Nashville Predators in a divisional matchup. The Preds have turned things around since their abysmal start. But they are just 6-4-0 in their last 10. They’re not a playoff team, but would love nothing more than to beat a fierce division rival.
Colorado won’t play this weekend, so fans will get a break from the intense NHL action.
Blackwood injury update
There is some good news on the injury front for the Avalanche. MacKenzie Blackwood was a full participant in practice on Sunday, potentially leading to his return.
Blackwood is a full participant in practice today
— Jesse Montano (@jessemontano_) January 11, 2026
Trent Miner is out here as well
No Wedgewood
The fact that Scott Wedgewood was not in practice suggests he took a day off to recover.
Blackwood remains on IR, as PuckPedia shows. So, there’s reason to believe Blackwood could return to the ice for Friday’s game against the Predators. That means that Wedgewood should get the start against the Maple Leafs on Monday night.
The Avalanche starting goalie has missed about two weeks with a lower-body injury. In his stead, Wedgewood and Trent Miner have been lights out. Miner recorded his first NHL win and shutout in the Avs’ last game against the Blue Jackets on Saturday night.
Roster moves
The Avalanche continue rotating AHL forwards on the big club. Last week, Ivan Ivan and Taylor Makar got looks. Then, the club recalled TJ Tynan for the game against the Blue Jackets. Tynan skated for 8:13 across 12 shifts. He had one shot on goal and was promptly sent back to the Colorado Eagles.
It remains to be seen if there will be another roster move ahead of the game against the Maple Leafs. If not, it could be a signal that Joel Kiviranta might be getting ready to return to the lineup. That extent may be confirmed throughout the day, most likely following the morning skate.