Hockey Mountain High Podcast

Val Nichushkin is back. The best news the Avs could possible receive before the trade deadline has come true, and Nichushkin has returned to practice with the team for a return in the near future. Finally, their top six is rounding into form at the right time. The Avalanche also took down the Stars in a dominant 5-1 win on home ice, closing the gap in the division race and potentially hitting a tu...

The momentum could not get carried over from two wins in a row, and the Avalanche have dropped two in a row once again, losing 2-1 in overtime to the Red Wings and 4-3 to the Maple Leafs on home ice. The effort is there, but once again it is the details and little mistakes that are killing this team in critical moments. In ten games after the all star break, 3-5-2 is not enough in the most importa...

Home cooking did the Avalanche some good as they pick up two straight wins over the Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks, that they had to go out and earn in weird, playoff style games. Ryan Johansen is on his redemption arc with two straight solid games, and Georgiev gave the Avalanche the saves they need to pull off the wins. Can they push this to a real winning streak by hitting the road again...

This god awful road trip is finally over, ending in a frustrating 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning with defensive breakdowns galore wasting an otherwise solid performance. 1-4-1 on this road trip won't cut it, and it's time for some serious questions to be asked in the locker room. Will any trades fix this team when breakdowns are becoming common and winning on the road becoming impossible? Als...

This road trip has not been fun for the Avalanche, but they were able to get on the board with a 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals, which was sorely needed following a rock bottom 4-0 shutout loss to the Florida Panthers over the weekend. Can they end the road trip on a positive note and beat the Tampa Bay Lightning before heading home? Ryan Johansen is once again a topic of conversation follow...

Halfway through the longest road trip of the season and the Avalanche have yet to pick up a single win, and after an embarassing effort in a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, some questions need to be asked before things fall off the rails. Georgiev regressed badly after a good stretch, and the stars were held off the board again. What will it take to turn this around? Also, is the Coyotes time...

The All Star break is over and the Avs have not picked up where they left off, dropping two in a row to start the six game road trip. Fresh off a frustrating loss to the Devils that saw a third period comeback fall apart at the last second, the Avs still have their explosive potential, but the details have not returned from the break yet. The return against the Rangers was better, and most importa...

The trade deadline has begun with Elias Lindholm going to Vancouver and Sean Monahan going to Winnipeg, and two big names have been wiped off the board for Colorado with still well over a month to go before the deadline. Who are the options that are still remaining on the trade board, and who would be the best fits? What assets are on the table to be moved out the door? Also, the NHL is finally go...

The Avalanche have reached the bye week and sit atop the Central division, how important is it for them to ultimately win the division with the playoff implications? What can we expect from the second half of this season for Colorado? Looking around the league, do we already know who the playoff teams are? Or can there be any surprises? Finally, are sports a good idea at all? Welcome to The Tell I...

Nathan MacKinnon is greatness incarnate, and following a second four goal game with a natural hat trick against the Capitals, it's time we really sit on reflect on how special he is. Zach Parise is now a member of the Avalanche after so many years in Minnesota, what can we expect him to bring to the depth after the All Star Break? With dominant wins over the Capitals and Kings, it's almost a shame...

Some much needed rest and reinforcements are on the horizon for the Avalanche as the All Star break approaches, but good vibes still surround this team following a 7-4 win over the Flyers and an overall successful five game road trip. The Wood/Colton/O'Connor line is the perfect combo for this team, can they get the second line to support it? Patrick Roy is back in the NHL once again as the head c...

The Avalanche fell to the Bruins 5-2 after falling behind early, and their exhausted star players unable to make up the difference. Will getting healthy be enough to support the stars once again? Another game sub .900 for Georgiev raises even more questions about the Avalanche's goaltending and what they plan to do at the deadline to support him. Is Marc-Andre Fleury a reasonable option. Also, wha...

The news is piling up for the Avalanche as of late, even more so on the heels of three games in Canada against Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. First and foremost though, Val Nichushkin enters the player assistance program and will be out indefinetly, and we would like to take the time to wish him all the best during the process. During the road trip, the Avalanche came back from a 3-0 deficit again...

It's hard to imagine a better game for the Colorado Avalanche as they took down the Vegas Golden Knights with a 3-0 shutout, and next to no negatives to speak of in such a perfect performance. With just a few more adjustments and getting back to full health, the Avs could be the Stanley Cup favorites with performances like this. Gabe Landeskog has stepped on the ice for the first time, are we allo...

It's officially the halfway point of the season, and the Avalanche are currently top five in the league and off to the fourth best start in franchise history. Bouncing back from poor goaltending in a 8-4 loss to the Panthers, the Avs knocked off the Bruins in a shootout with one of their most complete games of the season. Around the league, William Nylander's new contract is bad news for Mikko Ran...

The Avalanche took down the Dallas Stars 5-4 with an overtime win, complete with another third period multi-goal comeback. Nathan MacKinnon has further staked his claim to the Hart trophy, but he's covering up some issues with this team right now that need to be fixed by the trade deadline. But yet, the Avalanche are currently top three in the league. The first batch of all-stars has been named, a...

The Avalanche started 2024 on the right foot, overcoming shaky goaltending and bad bounces to complete a comeback over the New York Islanders with a 5-4 OT win. Nathan MacKinnon is the best player in the world and deserves to be treated as such, but the rest of this team, especially defense seems to be rounding into form at last. Georgiev however continues to be inconsistent, is there a turnaround...

After blowing a 4-0 lead to the Arizona Coyotes, the Avalanche pulled out a tough road win in St. Louis, even if it was statistically one of their worst offensive performances. What is this team's real form? Even after all the frustration with this team, the Avalanche still sit first place in the Central and only a few wins back of first place in the entire NHL. What can be done to help push this...

It's a Merry Christmas for the Avalanche after two straight wins over the Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes. Nathan MacKinnon pushed his point streak to eighteen games in a row, and should easily be the leading Hart candidate at this point of the season. The Avs have had their struggles their season, but at the holiday break they sit tied for the first in the Central. How close are they to being...

Consistency and injuries are plaguing the Avalanche right now more than ever following a 3-2 loss to the league worst Chicago Blackhawks. Officiating did them no favors, but they put themself in that position with sloppy play and disappearing acts outside of the top line. With no Makar to hide issues the last three games, it's becoming more clear that there's more work to be done on this roster be...

Tomas Tatar's time in Colorado is over, having now been traded to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2024 5th round pick. Is there another move coming as a result? Where does this leave the Avalanche in the meantime? In game notes, the Avalanche defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 in Erik Johnson's emotional return to Colorado, and saw the emergence of Sam Malinski. However, Cale Makar's minutes wer...

The Avalanche saved themselves from disaster, pulling out a 6-5 win over after being down 5-3 to the Calgary Flames out from the jaws of defeat to end their slide following a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Tomas Tatar finally scored a goal, Mikko Rantanen's drought is over, and MacKinnon continues to dominate. But should we just forget how the Avs got themselves in that position to need a co...

The same problems for the Avalanche continue as they put the lines in a blender due to injuries, and sneak by the Ducks before watching too many mistakes cost them an important game against the Jets. Nathan MacKinnon is back to his dominant ways, but Mikko Rantanen is very not, and the Avalanche need that fire back from him soon. With the top line still getting well over 25 minutes a night, there...

The Avalanche go winless on the west coast road trip, but still bring home two points with a shootout loss to Anaheim, and running out of gas against the Kings the next day. At the end of the day, Colorado needs more from MacKinnon and Rantanen, especially if Makar is out. Even if their point production has been fine, the domination has not been there for awhile. What could be the recipe for unloc...

The Avalanche's win streak ends in Arizona against the Coyotes with a 4-3 overtime loss, in only the second overtime game of the season. Despite the loss, still salvaging a point is palatable, though there are some performances that need to be better. With a back to back coming up over the weekend against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, the Avs are going to need to bring their all to end...