Denver, CO — It’s 2026, and Nazem Kadri has returned to the Mile High City, and we were in the press box and locker room at Ball Arena to give our massive, loyal, and downright die-hard community a closer look at Avs vs. Wild!
We were hit with some not-so-good news just as the Colorado Avalanche came out for their warm-up, as the Colorado Avalanche X account sent out the following tweet regarding Gabe Landeskog’s injury status:
It’s a good thing the Avalanche added another forward to the lineup!
This one played out like a goalie showcase, with both Jesper Wallstedt and Scott Wedgewood turning down every puck they saw in the first half and working hard to keep it tight throughout the contest.
The Game
The first frame came and went quickly, but it did feature some physicality and power-play chances for Colorado that they couldn’t capitalize on.
Nazem Kadri nearly scored on the first and second power plays of the period, immediately slotting into the power-play unit with Gabe Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen on the mend. He was used early and often, logging the third-highest TOI after one period of play.
Minnesota was happy to head into the first intermission tied at 0-0 with all of the chances that the Avalanche earned.
Colorado was plenty dangerous, earning 14 first-period shots on goal. The top group of MacKinnon, Necas, and Kadri logging seven of them.
The Wild weathered the first wave.
The second wave came early with Colorado earning a third chance on the man-advantage after Ryan Hartman’s stick caught Nazem Kadri up high. Still nothing doing altough we saw Makar, Necas, and MacKinnon rotating and creating in ways that are new to the approach. It felt like just a matter of time.
Nazem Kadri went to work on a loose puck in the corner with two Wild players defending, but they gave him just enough space to find Nathan MacKinnon alone in front of Wallstedt. MacKinnon made no mistake, and just like that, it was 1-0, Colorado.
My first-period analysis of the netminding play was confirmed in the second half of the game as well, with both keepers ensuring a tight, low-scoring affair. We would head to the third with Colorado still hanging on to their one goal lead.
Ross Colton’s third-period slashing penalty gave Kirill Karpizov and the Wild a chance to tie. That they did as Kapizov’s slap pass found Boldy, who ripped it past Wedgewood. The goal was credited to Kaprizov when I was writing this, but I’m almost positive it was an on-purpose goal for Boldy.
Colorado would earn even more power play looks in the final frame, and l looked poised to re-establish their lead. That is, until a chip didn’t get deep enough, which quickly turned into a Wild clearance that found Nico Sturm all alone. He scored shorthanded and on the breakaway to make it 2-1 Wild.
Chris MacFarland was busy this week, and another one of his acquisitions would show up big for the Avalanche as Brett Kulak’s point shot was redirected by Nicolas Roy and into the net, and we were once again tied, this time at two a side
We would need overtime, and a shootout yet again.
Nathan MacKinnon would seal the deal for the Avalanche with the fourth shot for Colorado as Nazem Kadri was unable to pot his shootout attempt that would have won it with the third go.
The Avalanche have beaten the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild in three days. Not too shabby.
Takeaways
When the trade for Nazem Kadri first hit the wire, most fans assumed Ross Colton or a centerman would head back to Calgary in return, but such is not the case. With that, the question was, “Who is gonna move out to the wing?” Well, it looks like they are alright with throwing another new guy, Nicolas Roy, on the right to make way for MacKinnon, Nelson, Kadri, and Drury. We also saw Nazem playing wing with the top group situationally.
The Avalanche have options.
Young goaltender Jesper Wallstedt was excellent for the Wild today and did all he could to keep it close in front of the vivacious crowd at Ball Arena.
It really is incredible that Chris MacFarland pulled off the Nazem Kadri reunion, and the fruits of his labor were immediately on display, with Kadri showing it wouldn’t take him long to get reacquainted with his teammates.
I know this will be met with vitriol in the comments, but I actually liked what I saw from the Avalanche power play, and I’m the first one to say I don’t like it when we write off a loss to “getting goalied,” but from my view, Wallstedt was the best player for either side this evening.
The Avs have now won two straight games via shootout, which is against the norm, and have looked excellent against the other top dogs in the division. With contributions from every trade deadline acquisition, Jared Bednar was asked if he’s willing to say this team is better than the team in 2022. His response? “No.”
Upcoming
The Avalanche will welcome the Edmonton Oilers for another 8 p.m. start time on Tuesday. Can Colorado continue their run against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the struggling Oilers team?
Let us know what you thought of this contest in the comments!
