The Colorado Avalanche are going to try and advance further in the 2026-27 postseason than they did in last year’s playoffs, and as we get closer to opening night, more things will be more evident regarding important things for the year. The latest is that the NHL schedule has been revealed.
The Avalanche’s first puck drop of the season is on September 30 against the Los Angeles Kings, as we found out on Wednesday. Afer that, Colorado has 13 games in October. Their first division game is Game 2 against the St. Louis Blues on October 3. Getting the next three days off before a trip to Winnipeg and then Calgary on back-to-back days is not fun, but that’s what will be happening.
On October 13 and 14, the Avalanche face the Dallas Stars, the first game in Dallas and then heading to Colorado for the second. The first game against the Nashville Predators will be on October 25 in Nashville.
Skipping to November, one of the surprising things that we’ll be acknowledging is the first game against the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s notable not only because the two teams are in the same division, but also because their young superstar Connor Bedard is expected to be out until mid-November because of shoulder surgery. That puts the first game between the two teams (November 2) out of the question. Hopefully the Avalanche will still be healthy by this time to make life easier on themselves in this matchup. Having Bedard out is a major advantage for Colorado.
The Avalanche face the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on December 18 and February 9. Both games should be very good tests for Colorado, though that’s not saying it’s guaranteed to be tough. It might be, but I believe in the Avs. Hopefully some things from last season, most notably the power play, makes a huge improvement. It will be key in a game against a tough opponent such as the Hurricanes.
The toughest stretch on the Avalanche’s 2026-27 schedule
The Avalanche are known to have faced some adversity in the past. This season will be no different. Each team will have a tough stretch here and there on their schedule, but we’re here to talk about the Avs’.
In November, Colorado will be on the road from the 10th through the 18th. On the 10th, they face the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then, they stay in Ontario, Canada, and take on the Ottawa Senators two days later. On Saturday, they head a little bit East to the Ottawa Senators and then close out the roadtrip with a game against the Utah Mammoth.
It will be interesting to see how tough any of those teams make it for the Avalanche. Excluding Utah, they are all eastern teams, so they don’t play as frequently as the Western Conference opponents.
The Avalanche had a home record of 26-9-6 last season, while their record in away games was 29-7-5. Obviously, road games are very tough, but the Avs were pretty solid, all things considered.
The NHL will hold all-star games from February 5-7, 2027 instead of the Winter Olympic break, as that only takes place every four years.
One last notable thing is that we still don’t know if Connor Hellebuyck will be in goal for the Jets at all this season, as he has been rumored to be in trade discussions. The Avalanche best prepare as if he will be remaining with Winnipeg, as the two teams face each other in the third game of the season. After that, however, their second meeting is in late-February. We probably will know something by the time that game comes around. Both teams will have plenty of games played by that point and fighting to remain or get to the postseason hunt.
We are just a couple of months away from regular season hockey. It can’t get here fast enough.
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