Everyone in the NHL is back in North America, ready to gear up for the stretch run of the season. The Colorado Avalanche sent several stars to the Olympics with varying levels of success. On Wednesday night, they headed to Utah to take on the Mammoth in the first of the final 27 games of the season.
The Mammoth had started to show signs of life going into the break, grabbing the first wild card spot in what has turned out to be a race among various Pacific Division teams. The Avalanche handled them on road ice, walking away with the 4-2 victory.
No Nate, No Problem
Nathan MacKinnon was given a maintenance day but the Avalanche didn’t miss a beat. After a slow first period where both teams looked like they were getting back into the swing of things, the Avalanche turned it up in the second period.
Brock Nelson continues to have a fantastic season and is well on his way to setting a new career-high in goals, notching his 30th of the season midway through the second. The Avalanche got contributions from throughout the lineup to keep the Mammoth on their heels.
MacKinnon will be back and will likely have a chip on his shoulder. That will be a sight to see but it is nice to see that the Avalanche can beat a good team without their superstar center in the lineup.
Wedgewood Continues Banner Season
Scott Wedgewood was back between the pipes for the first time since Jan. 29 and continues to support his case for a Vezina Trophy nomination. Wedgewood was absolutely outstanding against the Mammoth, calmly turning aside 28 of 30 shots on the night.
Related: NHL Morning Recap – February 26, 2026
As the Avalanche were trying to figure things out early on, Wedgewood was strong. Both goals by Dylan Guenther were the kind that most goaltenders would have a hard time with, but Wedgewood was otherwise fantastic.
He is now 21-4-5 with a 2.29 goals against average and .913 save percentage, the best cumulative effort of his career. He’s already matched his career high of 32 games played and set a new mark with 21 wins. He is well on his way to setting new benchmarks across the board in what has been the best season of his career.
Power Play Shows Life
The biggest issue facing the Avalanche right now is the power play. All season long, it has been expected that a team with this much talent would figure things out. Yet here we sit, nearly in March, and the Avalanche are dead last in the NHL in power play success rate.
Things weren’t perfect on Wednesday against the Mammoth, but they did manage to convert one of their three opportunities. Martin Necas absolutely teed up a pass from Cale Makar to put the Avalanche up 4-2 late in the second period.
The problem isn’t going to be fixed overnight. Incremental success is key and it was nice to see the Avalanche not only get a power play goal, but get one at a critical point when the Mammoth were cutting into the lead. Take this and build momentum going forward.
The Push Starts Now
The Avalanche are expected to be players at the trade deadline in addition to acquiring defenseman Brett Kulak. Regardless of the moves made, the Avalanche will need to be better down the stretch than they were heading into the break.
With the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild breathing down their necks, the Avalanche can’t afford to be complacent. Making a big splash would not only help the roster but give the guys in the room a bit of extra juice to put the division away.
