Hockey Mountain High Podcast

Darcy Kuemper is the best goalie in the NHL, and he proved it once again with a 49 save performance in a 2-1 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Avs continue to roll through teams desperate for points while needing none themselves, and are on a six game win streak while shorthanded but getting healthier with Sam Girard back in the lineup. Also, how is the race for the final wildcard spot in...

The Avalanche have clinched a playoff spot for the fifth straight season with a second consecutive win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, and once again did while even more shorthanded than last time and delivered an even stronger performance than before. How do they keep doing this against healthy teams battling for playoff spots? Bo Byram returned to the lineup for the first time in three months, and...

The Avalanche continue to rattle off wins, but as we've come to expect at this point, it comes at a cost once again as now Nazem Kadri goes on to the injured list likely into the playoffs after taking a nasty hit against the Sharks. Despite all the injuries, Colorado once again found a way to overcome and took down the Pittsburgh Penguins in a game of the year contender, pushing their winning stre...

The Avalanche just walked into Calgary without Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog, Sam Girard, Bo Byram, and Ryan Murray and knocked off their biggest threat in the Western Conference with a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames, on the back of one of the best performances of the entire season. After going 2-0-1 in the season series against Calgary, are they really a threat to the Avs, or just pretenders?...

The Avalanche ventured into Minnesota and took a well earned point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Wild, dominating most of the game but poorly timed penalties and questionable officiating ultimately costing them to the extra point. Is this game a playoff preview between the two sides, and is there any doubt the Avalanche take care of them in a a playoffs series? Also, should Nathan MacKinnon ever f...

The Avalanche have come out of the trade deadline with two games against the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, and put up some much to be desired performances against both, beating the Oilers 3-2 in overtime and losing 3-1 to the Canucks. The even strength scoring has dried up, and the top line has been forced to carry the load as bottom six struggled to be effective. Will getting Artturi Leh...

The trade deadline is complete, and the Avalanche have made the perfect move by acquiring Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens! Where will Lehkonen fit into the lineup, and how is he the perfect addition for this team as they finish preparing for a Stanley Cup run? Was giving up Justin Barron too steep a price to pay, or was it fair value? Also, the Avs acquire Andrew Cogliano from the San...

It's the eve of the Trade Deadline in the NHL, and the deals are starting to rain down across the league. Claude Giroux is not a member of the Avalanche after being acquired by the Florida Panthers, but could that be a blessing in disguise as Giroux would only accept a trade to Florida? Without Giroux as an option, what are some other forward options to round the Avalanche's forward depth in order...

The Avalanche trade deadline continues painfully as Tyson Jost is traded to Minnesota in exchange for Nico Sturm, giving the Avalanche a much needed upgrade in the bottom six at a much cheaper price. Can Tyson Jost reach his full potential with a fresh change of scenery? What can Nico Sturm bring to this team that can help them win a Stanley Cup. With the extra cap space being saved on this deal,...

EMERGENCY PODCAST! The Avalanche have acquired defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for prospect Drew Helleson and a 2023 second draft pick. What can we expect from Manson, how well does he fit on this defense, and how deep does this make the back end when healthy? How do we feel about giving up Helleson in this deal? Also, are the Avalanche done in the trade deadline, or are...

In a two part episode, the Avalanche had an eventful couple of days, starting with an excellent effort against the Carolina Hurricanes, before getting jobbed at the very end with some questionable officiating and shutout for the first time this season in a 2-0 loss. Also, Gabe Landeskog undergoes knee surgery for a lingering injury, likely keeping him out for the rest of the season. Can the Avalan...

The Avalanche have hit a rare low point this season after blowing a 3-0 lead to the New Jersey Devils, on the back of an unacceptable performance nearly across the board. This loss came after the Avalanche barely held off blowing a 5-1 lead in 8 minutes to the New York Islanders the day before, after completely taking their foot off the gas. What went wrong here? What are the problems that need to...

It's a rare episode where there's not one, but two Avalanche loses to talk about. The Avalanche lose two in a row for the first time since early November after a 2-1 loss to Arizona and a 4-3 overtime to Calgary. There's stuff to criticize after a playoff style loss to the Calgary Flames in overtime, including some horrific mistakes at critical times from important players, but also plenty of reas...

The Avalanche pull off yet another comeback victory, knocking off the New York Islanders 5-3 on home ice to push their winning streak to four games, while honoring the great Jack Johnson for reaching 1,000 games played in the NHL. With the win, the Avalanche became the second fastest team in NHL history to reach 40 wins, taking just 54 games to do so and pulling further and further away with the W...

What do you even say about this Avalanche team anymore? The Avalanche beat both the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights on back to back nights in equally hilarious fashion, going down 3-0 in the first period to the Jets for fun and coming back in dominant fashion to win 6-3, and scoring two goals in 29 seconds to beat a desperate Golden Knights that suddenly find their playoff lives in jeopardy...

The Avalanche suffered a rare dominant regulation loss on the road against the Boston Bruins early Monday morning, suffering their worst loss since early December. Was this loss really as bad as the freakout suggested it was? Is there anything to take away from this game at all? Despite it all, the Avalanche bounced back like they always do with a solid victory over the Detroit Red Wings without N...

The Avalanche picked up another win with a 5-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, in a game that we'll probably all forget by this time next week. Is there anything to be said for the Avalanche playing down the lesser teams, or do they just know when to turn it on and when they can save their energy? Also, looking ahead to what should be an exciting early game against the Boston Bruins, and will the...

The Avalanche spoiled Jack Eichel's debut with the Vegas Golden Knights with a 2-0 shutout on the back of yet another perfect defensive performance and back to back shutouts from Darcy Kuemper. Have the Avalanche learned their lesson from last years playoff series and figured out how to shutdown Vegas? Was this the best win of the season for Colorado? Also, the Avalanche had their point streak sna...

Peter Baugh of the Athletic joins the show once again to talk about the Avalanche's success through the first half of the season, what to expect from the trade deadline, and who the biggest threats in the West could be for the Avalanche on their path to the Stanley Cup. Also, looking at the Avalanche's two most impressive wins of the season in a classic over the back-to-back champion Tampa Bay Lig...

In what is hopefully the final episode without any games to talk about, the boys look ahead to the Avalanche's return against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Also, looking ahead to the rest of the season, and if a drop off is inevitable after nearly two straight months of winning non-stop. Finally, wrapping up with some news from a crazy day around the league. Welcome to The Tell It Avs It Is Podcast, yo...

Another All-Star Game weekend has come and gone, and boy was it as boring as ever. What can the NHL do to make All Star Weekend better in the future, if they can do anything at all? What's the best way to better market the typically boring NHL player? Also, Is it time for the Avalanche to go all in at the trade deadline? If so, who will they bring aboard? Claude Giroux? Joe Pavelski? Tomas Hertl?...

The home winning streak is over. The Avalanche lose to the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 in the shootout to end their historic home winning streak 19 in a row, and now head into the nine day all star break for a much needed rest. How did this happen against one of the leagues worst teams after all those amazing wins? Also, it's time to start looking at who the Avalanche could meet in the first round of the...

The Avalanche just keep winning, even if it isn't always pretty. The Avalanche have pushed their winning streak to ten wins in a row after a holding off the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 on the road, and mailing in an effort against the Buffalo Sabres for a 4-1 for their 18th straight win on home ice. Since losing 6 of their first 10 games of the season, the Avalanche have lost two games in regulation si...

The Avalanche did it again. They just keep winning and there's seemingly nothing that's able to stop them. After another comeback overtime win against the Boston Bruins, the Avalanche have won 17 home games in a row and have not lost in regulation in 2022, and have done it all in a fashion that shows they are ready for playoff hockey. Also, could the rumors of Claude Giroux coming to the Avalanche...

The Avalanche are surviving by the skin of their teeth right now after lethargic wins over the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens. Darcy Kuemper has stepped up big time with a 40 save performance in a 4-1 win over the Kings, while the Avalanche looked completely out of gas while still managing to get the job done. Against Montreal, Kuemper once again bailed out the Avs after a lackluster...