It doesn’t get better than being a Colorado Avalanche fan right now. They have been the hottest team in the National Hockey League (NHL), sitting atop the league standings for a while now. A 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres only added to their total.
The Avalanche were tasked with a sneaky-tough New York Islanders. Though the plucky Islanders got out to a 1-0 lead, it would be all they could muster before the Avalanche roared back and took the game 4-1.
Scott Wedgewood Should be the Vezina Favorite
It has been talked about more than a few times this season, but what Scott Wedgewood is doing cannot be understated. He has been a solid addition for the Avalanche since being acquired last season, more than earning a one-year contract extension.
What he is doing this season is several levels higher than he’s ever managed before. If you want to sum up Wedgewood’s season to date, look at the Islanders power play from halfway through the second period. Moving left to right, Wedgewood slid across the crease, sprawled, made the save by jutting his right shoulder up, then barrel rolled to get back into position.
Wedgewood was again outstanding, turning aside 28 of 29 shots. Among goalies with at least 10 starts, he’s tied for third in the league with a .917 save percentage. Wedgewood is among the best goaltenders in the league right now and is a major reason why the Avalanche have been so dominant.
Depth Continues to Dominate
Speaking of dominant, the depth of the Avalanche continues to dominate. It is especially good that the depth of the Avalanche has been so good because Valeri Nichushkin will be week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Related: NHL Morning Recap – November 17, 2025
Victor Olofsson continues to impress, illustrating some fantastic hand-eye coordination with a deflection nearly six minutes into the second period. His six goals has provided much needed middle-six scoring that hasn’t been there in years.
Brock Nelson and Ross Colton scored as well, further flexing their scoring depth muscle. It’s a good day when Nathan MacKinnon is held point-less and the Avalanche cruised to a multi-goal win. There may not be a deeper team in the league than the Avalanche.
The Power Play is Still a Problem
Because there is no such thing as a perfect team, we can’t help but focus on the one rough spot for the Avalanche this season: the power play. It had a brief stretch where things looked like they were finally getting on track, but that time has come and gone.
The Avalanche were 0-for-3 against the Islanders and currently sit as the 21st-best power play in the league with a 16.7% success rate. Given that they are second in the NHL with 72 power play opportunities, coming away with 12 power play goals is far from ideal.
It’s hard to pinpoint what the issue is. They get chances and a few could have easily gone in. Coming up with a “fix” feels tough at this point and it almost feels like a little more luck would bring things closer to the mean. If they can even be a middling power play, the Avalanche will become even more dominant.
This Start is a Complete 180 from Last Season
It is funny thinking about where the Avalanche are compared to the start of last season. Back then, the Avalanche had a pair of goaltenders they couldn’t trust, a plethora of injuries, and fell behind early in the Central Division race and never recovered.
Now, the Avalanche are dominant in net and have relatively good health as they sit above the rest of the league. This has been a fun time to be an Avalanche fan, and hopefully the ride doesn’t end any time soon.
