After plenty of waiting, it'll be the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues meeting in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in a rematch of their first round series from last season. How does this version of the Avalanche match up against this improved version of the Blues? Can the Blues extensive offensive depth match the Avs overall firepower? Can Colorado take advantage of the Blues injured defense and Jordan Binnington in net? Also, BluesFanReacts joins the show for the St. Lou...
May 16, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 154
The Colorado Avalanche have swept the Nashville Predators and are moving onto the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs following a 5-3 victory in Game 4. The Avalanche did not play their best game, but when you have a player as dominant as Cale Makar on your team, it really does not matter at the end of the day. Makar took over this series and this game, and helped the Avalanche scratch and claw their way through a tough game that was capped off with a third period comeback. The Avs are in t...
May 10, 2022•59 min•Ep. 153
The Avalanche are on the verge of a first round sweep of the Nashville Predators following a 7-3 beatdown in Game 3, but not without some serious scares along the way. Darcy Kuemper took a stick to the eye in first period, forcing him out for the rest of the game and Pavel Francouz into the net, but the Avs prevailed on the back of four powerplay goals and an overall amazing team performance to demoralize the outmatched Predators. With just how dominant the Avs have been, can the Avalanche wrap ...
May 08, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 152
The Avalanche got the job done in Game 2, but faced a real scare with Connor Ingram making 48 saves on 50 shots, but Cale Makar is not a mortal being that can be stopped by a mere man. The Avalanche win it 2-1 in overtime, and take a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Nashville for Games 3 and 4. How much did the Avalanche dominate Nashville again, and how close was Ingram to stealing this game? Is it even possible for him to keep it up the rest of the way? Is there anything Nashville can d...
May 06, 2022•45 min•Ep. 151
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here, and the Avalanche made a statement in Game 1 against Nashville with an absolutely dominant 7-2 to take a 1-0 series lead, and showed that they are in a whole other league from the Predators. Playoff mode Nathan MacKinnon was activated with two goals and three points, and Cale Makar made the whole Nashville roster look silly. After such a beatdown, can the Predators do anything to counter this unstoppable force of Colorado? Can we expect more of the same...
May 04, 2022•54 min•Ep. 150
It's the final episode before Game 1 of the playoffs, and it's time to do a full deep dive on the Avalanche's first round series with the Nashville Predators. Will the Avalanche actually be healthy for the first time all season? What will be the most important thing for the Avalanche to get through Nashville and prepare for a long run? Next, Chad Minton and Rich Howe of the Catfish on Ice Podcast join Griffin and Christian to preview this series from the Nashville perspective, and if they have a...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 149
The regular season has finally come to an end, and the Avalanche finally have their opponent in the Nashville Predators after the most bizarre circumstances imaginable. Also, Griffin and Christian give their series by series predictions for the first round, and will be competing directly with a penny in this years bracket challenge. How much damage will the Avalanche do, and who will be the other storylines who emerge from this postseason loaded with great matchups? Welcome to The Tell It Avs It...
May 01, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 148
The Avalanche snap their four game losing skid by handing the St. Louis Blues their first regulation loss in over a month, with an impressive 5-3 win. Devon Toews returns to the lineup, and the Avs win while looking significantly better in the process. Coincidence? Probably not. Also, the Vegas Golden Knights are officially dead and eliminated from playoff contention. Let's dance on the grave a little and examine how this happened. Finally, with just two days left, who will Colorado face in the ...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 147
We know why you're here, the Avalanche have lost four games in a row, in increasingly worse fashion each time a week away from the playoffs. Let's talk about it. The Avs lose 6-3 to the Edmonton Oilers, with a bad performance from Kuemper in net, and Frankie taking a puck to the face on the bench. Next, an even worse 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets with turnovers galore, and bad habits creeping in. What's been the biggest issue, and how can they fix it?. How can the Avs bounce back against St. Lou...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 146
DONATE TO ANCOR CENTER FOR BLIND CHILDREN AND VOTE FOR STEVE HERE (https://anchorcenter.org/9newssteve/) In this three part episode, the Avalanche fall 3-2 to the Washington Capitals as coast mode officially begins for the Avalanche, ending their win streak at nine in a row. Griffin had a very hard time watching this game, especially as the Capitals put together a near perfect game to beat an Avs team missing several key players. In part two, We're joined by Steve Staeger of 9News and Christian'...
Apr 21, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 145
The Avalanche have clinched the Central Division and Western Conference following a 7-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, and there's still seven games left to go before the playoffs. So what do we now with so much season left to go and absolutely nothing to play for? For the Avalanche, the answer is just keep winning hockey games as their win streak moved to nine games in a row. The Avs put up 7 on the best defensive team in the NHL, MacKinnon hit thirty goals, and Ben Meyers scores in NHL debu...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 144
The Avalanche are unstoppable, what else can you say anymore? In part one, Alex 'Raj' Rajaniemi of Altitude Sports Radio joins us once again to talk about Makar vs. Josi for the Norris, how the Avalanche continue to roll through desperate teams, and who the best matchup is for the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. In part two (37:53), the Avalanche embarrass the Los Angeles Kings 9-3 on home ice, featuring a hat trick from Nathan MacKinnon and a four point night from Cale Makar. This...
Apr 14, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 143
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 West shaking up? Who will the Avalanche play in round as we're now 21 days away from the playof...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 142
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 looked great while doing so. With Sam Girard returning against Winnipeg, and the depth getting bett...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 141
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 streak to three with a 3-2 win. After another outstanding performance, has Darcy Kuemper pushed himself ...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 140
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? Does this win all but lock up the Western Conference for the Avs as they take a 12 point lead on Ca...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 139
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 fight under any circumstance? Finally, why is immigration continuing to get in the way of Artturi Leh...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 138
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 Lehkonen into the lineup fix the floundering bottom six? What's going wrong with Josh Manson right now?...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 137
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 Jose Sharks to round out their forward depth before the trade deadline passed. Welcome to The Tell ...
Mar 21, 2022•31 min•Ep. 136
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 to load up for their cup run? The Avalanche also took on San Jose Sharks, and dominating for 50 min...
Mar 21, 2022•57 min•Ep. 135
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, what else does Sakic have up his sleeve? Claude Giroux? In game news, Darcy Kuemper records a second...
Mar 17, 2022•59 min•Ep. 134
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 they just getting started as Claude Giroux rumors start to pick up? Welcome to The Tell It Avs It Is...
Mar 15, 2022•35 min•Ep. 133
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 Avalanche do a little extra at the trade deadline with the extra cap space? Also, Sam Girard will miss fou...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 132
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 be fixed here going forward so this doesn't happen again? With huge tests against the Hurricanes an...
Mar 10, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 131
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 reason for optimism as the Avalanche are still clearly the best team in the West. Also, where are all th...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 130
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 Western Conference with a massive game against Calgary upcoming. With a team this good, it's time to ...
Mar 03, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 129
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. How do the Avalanche not get the job done in the playoffs? Also, talking some trade deadline possi...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 128
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 Nathan MacKinnon, and get ready for a tough stretch against Winnipeg and Vegas. Finally, some trade d...
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 127
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 there be any further retaliation for Taylor Hall's hit on Nathan MacKinnon. Finally, exploring the idea...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 126
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 snapped at 19 games by the Dallas Stars on Tuesday despite dominating the game even more than they did ...
Feb 17, 2022•45 min•Ep. 125
