The Colorado Avalanche are finally stringing some wins together. After Monday's 5-2 comeback against Chicago, the club has won three straight games. Last season, this wouldn't even register as newsworthy. Indeed, the 2025-26 Avalanche had multiple 10-game win streaks.
So far in 2026-27, the Avalanche have struggled to find a lasting rhythm. Road troubles have plagued the burgundy and blue in the early portion of the campaign. Tonight, they will skate into Columbus with a chance to build real momentum.
Not only is it an opportunity to extend their longest winning streak, but it would also mark their first sweep of a back-to-back set. Any scenario in which Colorado repeats as Central Division champions will count on their ability to pile up points in the standings.
What has been missing so far this season? I think it has come down to a lack of defensive stability from a club that is used to setting the league standard. To be clear, Colorado is still second in point production from the blue line. The Avalanche defensive corps has 36 points collectively. That is just one point behind Pittsburgh for most in the National Hockey League.
Greatly outpacing the competition in this metric is intrinsic to Colorado's team identity. In 2023-24, the Avalanche put up 243 points. Edmonton was the next closest, with only 215. The following season, Colorado again led the way, but the gap was smaller. In 2024-25, the mark was 211 points, while Tampa Bay was right on the Avs' heels with 208.
Last season, Colorado's defensive point powerhouse re-established dominance. The Avalanche blue line contributed 233 total points. Montreal was a distant second with only 213.
How can the Avalanche correct course?
They need to get more comfortable shooting the puck in all facets. A big part of that is an active defense that cranks up the shot volume.
The loss of Josh Manson for an estimated two months seems like a major blow at first glance. But here's the thing: it doesn't have to be all bad. The absence of Colorado's biggest hitter hurts. Yet it is the kind of adversity that forces a club to adapt.
Being completely honest, the pairing of Manson and Brent Burns was not good in October. They were slow and turning the puck over way too much. Add to that a Sam Malinski who looked very out of sorts for weeks, and you have a defensive corps pulling in the wrong direction.
Maybe it was a unit rallying after seeing a veteran teammate hurt that flipped a switch, but when Manson exited the game against New Jersey last Wednesday, something shifted. Brent Burns responded with his best game of the season.
Burns notched two points, assisting on Colorado's first two goals of the third period. The Avalanche seized control in the final frame. The previously maligned Malinski also chipped in two helpers on the third and fourth tallies as the team sailed to a 5-2 win.
Then, on Saturday's Halloween nightcap, Cale Makar went bobbing and weaving for four apples in another 5-2 victory. Makar's blueline partner Devon Toews also added two more assists of his own.
Monday's win over Chicago wasn't just a furious comeback as the Avalanche stormed back after a sluggish start. It was their third straight 5-2 win, and one thoroughly stamped by defensive help. In fact, a Colorado blueliner assisted on all four regular goals, and Toews officially stuck the fork in a cooked Blackhawks side with the empty-net goal to ice the contest.
Coach Jared Bednar still has to figure out what pairings are going to look like going forward. As of now, everything but the top pair of Makar and Toews seems to be in flux. But it strikes me as very significant that we've now seen Burns and Malinksi break out for their best games of the season in this limited window.
Burns was at his best against the Devils, and Malinski looked his most effective against Chicago. Collectively, during this three-game stretch, Colorado's defense has contributed 16 total points. This is the trademark style slowly emerging.
Will Colorado make a move to bolster the D Corps?
At the moment, they seem content to slot Noah Juulsen into the lineup and roll with what they have on the roster. Juulsen isn't going to light the world on fire, but he has been relatively steady in his role. That is, as a safe, stay-at-home type.
Juulsen is still working on getting comfortable in the Avalanche system. I've been watching him closely the last two games, and he does attempt to jump up in the offensive zone about once per contest. On Monday night, he pinged one off the post. I was out of my seat and ready to celebrate his first Avalanche goal.
It's worth noting that the Avalanche recalled Keaton Middleton from the Colorado Eagles yesterday afternoon. Middleton is a big physical presence who notably played 41 games for the Avalanche in 2024-25.
In exactly half a season's worth of appearances, Middleton tallied just 2 points and broke even on plus-minus. Obviously, he shouldn't be expected to move the needle if what you want is high-octane offense from defense hockey. Even so, if what Colorado decides they need is a temporary spot-filler, they could do worse.
In the past, Middleton was used as a replacement for Manson because of his size and willingness to drop the gloves. Malinski was once Middleton's pairing partner in the AHL, but they struggled together on the big club. Frankly, I'm not all too eager to revisit that experiment.
It does bring up Malinski as a key cog in the machine, however. He is the player most trusted to play on either side of a defensive pair. This versatility can be a huge asset when shuffling matchups to find the best chemistry.
Looking at the current Eagles roster, the long-shot call-up I would be most curious to see is Sean Behrens. He fits the Avalanche profile very well and was a high pick coming out of DU. Unfortunately, injuries have been a persistent problem in his young career.
A trade isn't out of the question either. The Avalanche know what they like to see in defensemen who can play their style of hockey. The acquisition of Manson in 2022 even provides a great template to work from. Right away, Manson took to Colorado's aggressive mindset.
Deadline pickups in subsequent years: Sean Walker and Ryan Lindgren showed a decent degree of adaptability. But both played well enough in their brief Colorado stints to price themselves out of the Mile High City. A more under-the-radar add like the example of Nick Blankenburg from last year might also be in the cards.
For now, I believe the Avalanche will stick with their roster and hope to gel into form. But another untimely injury could force their hand. Even at full strength, it is entirely within Colorado's philosophy to add backend depth at the trade deadline.
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