The postseason is officially underway and for the Colorado Avalanche, they have to sit on the sidelines for an extra day before their series with the Nashville Predators begins. We did learn that Preds star goalie Juuse Saros will not play at least the first two games of the series in Colorado. This gives the Avs an opening they have to take advantage of. Nashville will reassess the situation with Saros after those two games and its safe to say the reassessment will be based around how the serie...
May 03, 2022•43 min•Ep. 516
The most wonderful time of the year is upon us. The NHL Playoffs! The Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators will face off in the first round of the postseason, and Nick and Ann from Locked on Predators are here to talk with us to get us ready for the series. Who could be those unsung heroes we always get in the playoffs? Can the Preds overcome the loss of Juuse Saros? Can they play their aggressive style of play and get away with it against a powerful offensive team like the Avs? We als...
May 02, 2022•55 min•Ep. 515
Some were wondering how the Colorado Avalanche would come out and play against the Nashville Predators Thursday night at Ball Arena. Seeing as it was the last home game of the regular season, the Presidents' Trophy still within reach and wanting to head into the playoffs on a positive note, the Avalanche came out and played like it was just as important a regular season game as any other. And in the beginning everything was going their way. They took a 3-1 lead in the first period. But Nashville...
Apr 29, 2022•32 min•Ep. 514
Peter Baugh of The Athletic wrote a very good article on Nazem Kadri and if gives us a look behind the curtain on how he handled being traded from Toronto to Colorado. Kadri has given his best effort to not be looked at as the guy who takes cheap shots since the trade, but his hit in the playoffs last year that turned out to be a season ending suspension didn't help the narrative. The difference was while Kyle Dubas of the Maple Leafs moved on from Kadri after his postseason transgressions, Joe ...
Apr 28, 2022•37 min•Ep. 513
The Colorado Avalanche played like we all knew they could. We've seen it for the majority of the season. But a four game losing streak at this point in the season had fans with so many questions. But they also had answers. Players like Devon Toews had been out for a while nursing minor injuries. He was back Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues and boy did it show. From the opening puck drop the Avalanche looked like the team we have come to know this year. Maybe it was getting Toews back, m...
Apr 27, 2022•30 min•Ep. 512
The Colorado Avalanche have the #1 seed locked up in the West The Florida Panthers have the #1 seed locked up in the East Two teams that have a history together. A distant and short history, but a history Armando Velez from Locked on Panthers joins the show to discuss his team and their chances of making it through a very difficult eastern conference. Who to look out for to step their game up, what weakness, if any, do the Panthers have, and all those draft picks the Avs had right before the Pan...
Apr 26, 2022•49 min•Ep. 511
A few hours after news broke that Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens legend and Hockey Hall of Famer, had passed away at the age of 70, Locked On Canadiens hosts Scott Matla and Laura Saba recorded a special bonus ad-free episode to share their immediate reaction. They reflected on the legacy he leaves behind and tried to contextualize the loss of a favourite Canadiens great, and what it means to the Habs, the city of Montreal, the province of Quebec, the NHL, and hockey as a whole. It would be eas...
Apr 25, 2022•10 min•Ep. 512
The Colorado Avalanche have been stuck on 116 points for the season for four games now. Three points away from setting the franchise record for most points in a season. Thanks to them losing four straight games in regulation they have yet to set that record. Sure we can say they are down key players like Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Devon Towes. But the players they have now should not be losing four games in a row. All the current Avalanche problems were on display last night in the 4-...
Apr 25, 2022•35 min•Ep. 510
The Colorado Avalanche lost their third straight game in a loss to the Edmonton Oilers, 6-3, on Friday night in Edmonton. But they might have lost a lot more thanks to a freak accident on the bench. Pavel Francouz was sitting in the backup goalie chair when a redirected puck smacked into his face. He immediately left the bench and did not return. The next day, Avalanche prospect Justus Annunen was called up, signaling the Avs believe Francouz could be out for some time. What does this mean for t...
Apr 24, 2022•43 min•Ep. 509
Well this one did not go the way we thought it would. The Colorado Avalanche, coming off a loss to the Washington Capitals, not wanting to lose two in a row especially to a team at the bottom of the standings at this stage in the season, did just that. It was a dreadful first period for the Avalanche and the Kraken pounced, scoring three goals in the first. The Avalanche turned things around with their play, but they couldn't get enough past former Avalanche goalie Philipp Grubauer to gain any p...
Apr 22, 2022•37 min•Ep. 508
Val Nichushkin has been a revelation for the Colorado Avalanche ever since they signed him to a deal a couple years ago. It took him some time to establish himself and get comfortable during that first year, but once he did he became one of the Avs most reliable players. He will be due a new contract after this season and signing him will likely be priority #1 or 1a for the Avs along with goalie Darcy Kuemper. So what will Val command for his next deal? Chris and Kyle take their guesses. We also...
Apr 20, 2022•35 min•Ep. 507
Even though the Washington Capitals have a playoff spot clinched, their seeding is not. The Colorado Avalanche are playing for franchise records. Both had reason to continue to put their best effort out on the ice and both did just that. In the end, the Washington Capitals skated to a great game plan to keep the chances of the Avalanche limited while taking advantage of bad Avalanche mistakes to take a 3-2 win in Ball Arena. Sure the officials had a bad night, and sure the Avalanche held out som...
Apr 19, 2022•31 min•Ep. 506
It wasn't quite Cale Makar scoring his first goal, in his first shift, in his first game. But Ben Meyers playing in his first game after signing with the Avalanche right out of college was a special moment. It helped the Avs build a 4-0 lead over the Carolina Hurricanes and the Avs would go on to win 7-4. Carolina showed why it is looked at as a Stanley Cup contender. Most teams would cave in down four goals. Carolina did all it could to get back into the game, but the Avalanche showed why the a...
Apr 18, 2022•38 min•Ep. 505
The Colorado Avalanche had three days off. The Los Angeles Kings were coming off a game the night before. All of it showed. The Avalanche looked like a well rested, ready to roll team while the Kings looked tired and slow. In the end the Avalanche found the net nine times including a hat trick from superstar Nathan MacKinnon. Cale Makar added four points of his own and Nicholas Aube-Kubel and Valeri Nichushkin each had two goals as the Avalanche took control early. But there was even more excite...
Apr 14, 2022•27 min•Ep. 504
How much do regular seasons really matter? Some say not at all, some say very much so. The Colorado Avalanche have proven they can handle the regular season with relative ease, but the playoff show why winning a Stanley Cup can be so difficult. Just ask the 2000-2001 Colorado Avalanche. When we look back, we see a team that still hold the record for most points in franchise season and we see the iconic image of Joe Sakic handing the Cup to Ray Bourque. But it wasn't all easy for that team. We co...
Apr 13, 2022•36 min•Ep. 503
Nazem Kadri and Gabriel Landeskog are all that remain from keeping the Avalanche being 100% healthy. Ok, Ryan Murray too but you know what we mean. Naz and Landy are obviously returning to their rightful place in the lineup when they are healthy enough to do so, and with the Avalanche playing well with the players they have now, who will be the two men out when the Captain and Kadri eventually come back? We also take a look at the four teams that could potentially face off against the Avalanche ...
Apr 12, 2022•36 min•Ep. 502
The Colorado Avalanche had an eventful weekend in securing four more points to add to their season total and they did it in dramatic fashion. Friday the Avalanche faced off against division rival Winnipeg and seemingly had the game in hand with a 4-2 lead in the 3rd. But a terrible Mikko Rantanen penalty late in the 3rd after the Jets cut the lead down to one, helps Winnipeg secure the game tying goal to send it into overtime. But that is where Cale Makar goes to work, as he send home to game wi...
Apr 11, 2022•33 min•Ep. 501
We have reached a milestone here at Locked on Avalanche. We started this show back in November of 2019, and here we are in April of 2022 celebrating 500 episodes. We cannot thank you enough for all your support through the many ups and downs of the NHL over that time. We love doing this show and love that you are along for the ride with us. Having said that, we take a look back at the anniversary of one of the most iconic moments in Avalanche history. One year after the worst season in NHL histo...
Apr 08, 2022•34 min•Ep. 500
We were a little delayed thanks to COVID catching up to Chris, but we're back to discuss all the things the Avs have done over the past few days. Those two victories against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Avalanche injures (who's coming back, who might have to wait a little longer), and the extension of Kurtis MacDermid! Say it ain't so! And because of that extension, Chris and Kyle take a look at if that will snowball into any more extensions for any Avalanche pending UFA's. Tune in, subscribe an...
Apr 07, 2022•37 min•Ep. 499
The Colorado Avalanche were back home in the cozy confines of Ball Arena where they have fared so well this season. The San Jose Sharks came to town trying to salvage at least one win in the season series against the Avs, and they gave Colorado a real run for stealing two points. But the Avalanche talent rose to the top and a late Andre Burakovsky goal sealed the deal for the Avs, who now have 102 points on the season. The Avalanche got great production from their bottom six players and three go...
Apr 01, 2022•35 min•Ep. 498
It was another roller coaster day for the Colorado Avalanche. We knew we would get to see Arturri Lehkonen's first game in Avalanche colors against Calgary Tuesday night. We assumed Nathan MacKinnon would be there as well. That turned out to not be the case. MacKinnon, who traveled with the team to Calgary, was sent home to get further testing for an upper body injury. We can assume the injury was the result of the fight MacKinnon was in with Minnesota Wild forward Matt Dumba. The severity and d...
Mar 30, 2022•34 min•Ep. 497
The Colorado Avalanche traded for Artturi Lehkonen a week ago. He has yet to play thanks to immigration papers that are holding up the forward being an official member of the club. That all came to an end Monday night and Lehkonen jumped on a plane to be in the Avs next game against Calgary on Tuesday. What will he offer the team and who will be removed from the roster to make room for him? There are also GM meetings taking place at the moment which are always fun when GM's get together to talk ...
Mar 29, 2022•36 min•Ep. 496
The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild always put on a show and Sunday night was no different. After a slow first period things really started to pick up on both end. In the end, 60 minutes wasn't enough, but the Wild only needed a few OT seconds to put the game away thanks to a bad EJ penalty in the waning seconds of regulation. Chris and Kyle break it all down! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get...
Mar 28, 2022•34 min•Ep. 495
The Claude Giroux-less Colorado Avalanche beat the Claude Giroux-less Philadelphia Flyers Friday night, 6-3 on a special night for a few Avs. Cale Makar tied and then scored the most goals in franchise history by a defensemen with his two goals Mikko Rantanen scored his 32nd of the season, a new career high And Kurtis MacDermid, yes that Kurtis MacDermid, scored his 2nd goal of the season. On his birthday no less. Chris and Kyle break it all down and a very special Sound Check dedicated to the g...
Mar 26, 2022•37 min•Ep. 494
After playing an excellent, up-tempo game against the Edmonton Oilers, the Colorado Avalanche were back in action Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks and could only manage one goal against a struggling, backup goalie. The Avalanche looked good in some aspects but struggled in others, with a glaring 1/5 on the power play against the leagues worst penalty kill. Darcy Kuemper, while only giving up two goals, made some uncharacteristic decisions which could have cost him more than just the...
Mar 24, 2022•34 min•Ep. 493
The Colorado Avalanche had a few more moves left to make on deadline day to shore up an already loaded team. Joe Sakic pulled the trigger on bringing in Montreal Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado had to give up high prospect Justin Barron to do so, but this is the risk reward part of the trade deadline. Colorado was also in action against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers which needed overtime to decide the extra point. In the end Nathan MacKinnon found the net on a crazy series ...
Mar 22, 2022•36 min•Ep. 492
The Colorado Avalanche were all in for Claude Giroux, but he decided he wanted to go to the warmer climate of Florida and play for the Panthers. With the Avs missing out on the big fish of the trade deadline, does this wrap up their moves or does Joe Sakic have another plan up his sleeve? The Avalanche will welcome the Edmonton Oilers for the first time this season, and when McDavid and Co come to town it's always a must watch game. Edmonton is riding a five game winning streak and have moved in...
Mar 21, 2022•34 min•Ep. 491
The Colorado Avalanche completed a short and sweet two game west coast California trip with a 5-3 win over San Jose. The Avs jumped to a 4-0 lead but the Sharks battled back to pull within one. The Avs found an empty net to put the game away and pick up their 93rd point on the season. Cale Makar continued his stellar season getting three more points on the night bringing him to 69 on the season. Nathan MacKinnon had a hat trick of assists and Val Nichushkin found the net twice including the empt...
Mar 19, 2022•36 min•Ep. 490
Another day closer to the NHL trade deadline and we had a lot of movement, none involving the Avalanche directly, but could any of the moves made be felt by the Avs down the road and in the playoffs? Chris and Kyle break down the moves around the league Wednesday such as Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers and will that make it more difficult for the Panthers to add Claude Giroux? Does Calgary adding Calle Jarnkrok move the needle all that much? Tune in and subscribe! BetOnline BetOnline.net has...
Mar 17, 2022•32 min•Ep. 489
It was a bittersweet day for Avalanche fans. On one hand, it was game day and the newest member of the team, Josh Manson, was in the lineup for his first game in Avs colors against the Los Angeles Kings. On the other hand, a fan favorite in Tyson Jost was traded. Ending an up and down career with the Avalanche that never truly tapped his full potential. What made matters worse is the team Jost was traded to was the much hated Minnesota Wild. The Avalanche received forward Nico Sturm in return in...
Mar 16, 2022•37 min•Ep. 488
