Hockey is a tough sport where, if you’re good enough to make it to the postseason, you don’t get as long of an offseason as non-playoff teams. While the postseason is a step in the direction of the ultimate prize, having that little bit of extra time off can do the body some good. In the case of the Colorado Avalanche, they had a second-round exit.
For the most part, NHL games happen every two to three days during the season, roughly. However, there are some instances where teams have to play games back-to-back. That’s rough during an 82-game season, but we don’t make the rules or schedule. We take a look at them and analyze them. That’s what I’ll be doing here.
In the month of October, the Colorado Avalanche have one instance of a back-to-back. Those games happen on October 27th and 28th against the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks. Both of these games are at home at Ball Arena, which is great news.
As we head into November, the Avalanche also only have one back-to-back: It takes place at the very end of the month, on the 29th and 30th at Dallas Stars and at home against the Edmonton Oilers. With both of these teams being playoff teams, I imagine that both matchups are going to be very competitive.
In the month of December, the Avalanche have two back-to-backs: December 7th at the Detroit Red Wings and December 8 against the New Jersey Devils, as well as December 19th at the San Jose Sharks and the 20th against the Anaheim Ducks in Anaheim.
As we head into January, the Avalanche will face the Chicago Blackhawks on January 8 in Chicago, and then head home to Ball Arena for a matchup against the Minnesota Wild on the 9th. On the 25th and 26th, they are going to Boston to square off against the Bruins and then to New York to face the Rangers.
For the month of February, they have two back-to-back instances. Their first is in Canada, against the Calgary Flames on the 6th and the Edmonton Oilers on the 7th. Two weeks later, they head to Nashville on the 22nd and St. Louis on the 23rd.
On March 19th, the Avalanche head to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs and then stay in the province of Ontario to face the Ottawa Senators the very next day.
To end the regular season, the Avalanche have two instances of a back-to-back in April. Their first starts on the 2nd against the Chicago Blackhawks and then they head to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Blue Jackets. They close out the regular season with a back-to-back on the 12th against the Los Angeles Kings and then the Anaheim Ducks.
So, the answer to the headline is 12. As a fan, I love it because there’s not a lot of time in between games. As a player, I think that it is something that would be very exhausting, especially having to catch a plane in such a short period of time after a game. Well, at the end of the day, the players are or will get used to it. It is something that just comes with the job.
The Colorado Avalanche are going to have to battle very hard, especially at the beginning of the season as they won’t have Valeri Nichushkin until (at least) November. They’ll have to figure out ways to win without their star winger. It’s also a tough situation with the absence of Gabriel Landeskog, who is still rehabbing his knee injury from two years ago.
The race for the division title is going to be a very fun one once again, like it was last year. The Avalanche finished third in the division last year, and unfortunately with the obstacles they will face in 2024-25, and the new and unfamiliar players on the team, it could be the same exact scenario. I don’t think they’ll have a problem making it into the postseason, but I don’t think that they will be in position to bring home the Presidents’ Trophy.