Hockey Mountain High Podcast

The Avalanche have made it to the all-star break, but just barely. They blow a 3-1 lead to basement dwelling Anaheim Ducks, as the bad loses to the worst teams in the league are beginning to add up. However, the Avs defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 in a game that was a lot more stressful than it needed to be with another iffy third period, but they got the job done against everybody's favorite cryba...

The Avalanche have made a trade, acquiring old friend Matt Nieto and Ryan Merkley from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jacob MacDonald and Martin Kaut. Does Matt Nieto fill the depth need that the Avalanche have looked for all season long? After plenty of chances, Martin Kaut got the fresh start he was looking for, and so does Ryan Merkley coming to Colroado. How can Ryan Merkley come into his...

The matchup between the Avalanche and Capitals ends with a 3-2 Avalanche victory, pushing their win streak to six in a row and back into the top three in the Central Division, which is terrible news for the rest of the Western Conference. Even without Cale Makar, the Avs to find ways to win, but this game against the Caps was not without it's difficulties. The third line and goaltending came throu...

The Avalanche took care of business on their Western road trip, beating the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and Seattle Kraken in four straight days and extending their winning streak to a season long five games in a row. Most impressively, the Avs did it all without Cale Makar, who missed all three games with an injury. What's changed for the Avs to turn this season around so quickly? Now that...

The Avalanche looked like the Avs of old after dispatching the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-3 win for a second consecutive regulation win. Cale Makar looked like the definitive best defenseman in the NHL again, Nathan MacKinnon stays on a tear, and things are starting to the Avs way once again. Can they keep up the momentum once they head into Calgary, Vancouver, and Seattle on a Western road trip? Wh...

It was two completely different games for the Avalanche in the midst of the season low point, losing in embarrassing fashion to the league worst Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in a total lackluster effort, but followed it up with a near perfect 7-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on home ice for their first regulation win in almost a month. Did they finally wake up after their embarrassing loss to Chicago? C...

The Avalanche failed to capitalize on the momentum from ending their losing streak, and stumbled badly in a 5-4 loss to the Florida Panthers after a failed comeback attempt down 4-1. A bad 40 minutes doomed the Avs, and injuries are no longer excuse for the numerous mental errors that have plagued the Avs recently. A comeback attempt was foiled by a bad call that gave Florida a go ahead PPG, but t...

The Avalanche ended their five game losing streak with an incredibly cathartic 3-2 overtime victory over the Edmonton Oilers, complete with 3 unanswered goals and a phenomenal game winner from Cale Makar. However, the Avs biggest win of the season came on the heels of one of their worst losses to the Vancouver Canucks, blowing a 2 goal lead and collapsing in overly emotional loss. With a win final...

The Avalanche losing streak extends to four games in a row after a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, going winless on their three game home stand in increasingly frustrating performances. The Avs had everything go against them against Vegas, including themselves, and now need to quickly right the ship in Canada against the Canucks and Oilers. What's been the biggest issue for the Avs right now...

2022 ends on a sour note for the Avalanche following their 5-4 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it shouldn't detract from the incredible year that was 2022 for the Avalanche. The first half of this show is focusing on the negatives of the sloppy two home ice losses for the Avs, while second half looks back at the journey to the Stanley Cup from t...

Christmas break was not kind to the Avs, as they come out sloppy and fall for a trap game to the Arizona Coyotes in a 6-3 loss. Everything outside of injuries went wrong for the Avs in their first trip to Mullet Arena, from a slow start, called back goals, sloppy defense and goaltending, the whole nine yards. Can the Avs bounce back from this against Los Angeles and Toronto later this week to go i...

The Avalanche rattle off two overtime wins to head into the Christmas break on a positive break, but some more injuries put a damper over the holiday mood. A 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators after being down 2-0 showed a lot of guts for the Avs, capped off with a Sam Girard revenge OT winner against his old club. After an OT winner against the Habs and goal against Nashville, Rantanen...

Who said a game with zero goals has to be boring? A 1-0 shootout win over the New York Islanders has the Avs in great shape heading closer to Christmas break, with more injuries set to return soon. Is Cale Makar the most honorable player in the league after turning down a powerplay? Also, the Avalanche pulled off a nice piece of business, acquiring Denis Malgin from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exch...

The Avalanche continue to get healthier and healthier, but faced a setback with a sloppy performance in a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres that got away from the Avalanche that we're all used to. However Bednar whipped the team back into shape at a mandatory practice, and the results showed in a much better 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. Has the depth finally started to figure itself out with...

The Avalanche are back in the win column at last with two straight wins over the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers. Mikko Rantanen saved the Avs from disaster after a blown lead with a goal with 7 seconds left in regulation, and winning the game in overtime with a hat trick to get the Avs back in the win column. The Avs were also able to hold off the Flyers, as the depth scoring and goaltend...

The injured Avalanche came up winless against the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, but are slowly but surely getting healthier with every passing day. Val Nichushkin has returned to the lineup, with Artturi Lehkonen not far behind, and more players rumored to be coming off of IR in the coming weeks. Was the Avs performance in a shootout loss to the Rangers encouraging enough for the games movin...

It got worse. Nathan MacKinnon was injured in the Avalanche's 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, and is now set to miss multiple weeks. The injuries for the Avalanche have reached an unparalleled level, with only Mikko Rantanen remaining in the top six, the depth reaching it's limit, and an entire defensive pair missing. What can the Avalanche do in the mean time? Nothing really, just be patient...

The Avalanche injuries just somehow keep getting worse, and after losing Artturi Lehkonen and Josh Manson, it's gotten to a point that they cannot overcome with a 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on the road. What can the Avalanche even do about these injuries, other than just wait? The Avalanche were able to score a 6-4 bounce back against the Buffalo Sabres, in a penalty filled affair dominated by...

The Avalanche got humbled at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, suffering a 5-0 loss for their worst defeat of the season so far, and only their second loss by more than one goal all season. The shot totals in this game are very misleading, Winnipeg was dominant from start to finish, and the Avs injuries looked on full display as they simply couldn't keep up. Will the Avs be able to bounce back with...

It's impossible deny that Alex Georgiev is in the running for the Vezina at this point, as he posts yet another brilliant performance against the Dallas Stars by making 41 saves, and helping the Avalanche to an important divisional 4-1 win. Even more injuries have piled up for the Avs, but they simply do not care and continue to win. However, the Avalanche had a one off night with a 4-3 to the Van...

The Avalanche simply continue to win, injuries be damned, and we shouldn't be surprised anymore. After a 3-2 shootout win over the Dallas Stars, the Avalanche have gone 7-1 in November and are back to the top of the Central division once again. The Stars did not make it easy however, as Jason Robertson tied the game with less than thirty second to go, and Jake Oettinger further proved himself to b...

The Avalanche keep winning through injuries, hell and high-water. The Avs pulled off the robbery of the century in Carolina by stealing two points from the Carolina Hurricanes, getting outshot 48-15 before winning in overtime thanks to the greatest game of Pavel Francouz's career. Next up, the Avalanche proved themselves far too much for an aging Washington Capitals, as Alex Georgiev posted a 32 s...

The Avalanche's four game winning streak comes to an end in a stinging 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, where their extensive injuries were really on display. The Avalanche had a rare 6 on 3 advantage opportunity with a chance to tie the game, but failed to execute with a poorly run powerplay, costing them a point. Was this just a case of bad luck, or did the Avs give this one away? How will the A...

The Avalanche are rolling right now, despite all of their injuries. Coming back home from Finland, the Avs roll off two more victories against the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes, pushing their winning streak to four in a row and moving back atop the Central Division. The stars have shined brightly the last two games, especially Mikko Rantanen, who's put up 7 points in the last two gam...

The injury bug has returned for the Colorado Avalanche following their trip to Finland, as Val Nichushkin will be sidelined for a month following ankle surgery. Not only Val, but Bowen Byram will be out week to week as well with a lower body injury, as the Avs depth will continue to be tested in the early season. How will they plan to survive November while missing so many important pieces to the...