This is exactly the kind of regular-season visit that feels bigger than the calendar says it should. The Toronto Maple Leafs are in Denver for their only trip to Ball Arena, and that alone gives Maple Leafs vs Avalanche a little extra edge. For Colorado, it comes at a time when the team is still trying to sort out the contradictions in its game: a perfect penalty kill here, a three-game power-play drought there, and a schedule that has already demanded plenty.
The Avalanche came into Saturday night after a road split in back-to-back games, which is the sort of stretch that tells you a team has some bite but is not yet fully in rhythm. They lost 3-2 to the Winnipeg Jets on a last-minute goal on Wednesday, then answered with a 7-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday. That is a useful response, but it is also a reminder that Colorado is still living somewhere between impressive and incomplete.
Bednar likes the chemistry, and for good reason
Jared Bednar was clear about what he sees from his third line. He said that line has found “a little bit of chemistry,” pointed to the points it produced on Wednesday and again against Calgary, and singled out Jaden Schwartz, Fedor Svechkov and T.J. Hughes for doing “some good things.” That matters because chemistry is not a luxury in the NHL; it is often the difference between a line that merely survives and one that actually changes games.
Bednar’s praise for Hughes was especially telling. He called him smart, reliable with the puck, and a strong passer, while noting that he fits even with the top power-play group. That is not throwaway coach-speak. It is a coach making it plain that a young player is already trusted in meaningful situations because he sees the game properly and does not waste possession.
He was just as direct on Zachary L’Heureux. Bednar described him as rugged, straight-line, willing to play through opponents, and a good fit for the identity of the fourth line. He also said he liked L’Heureux’s game in Winnipeg and was encouraged by what he brought again against Calgary. Add in his point that Svechkov has “really showed up nicely” to start the season, and the message is obvious: Colorado is not only leaning on established names. It is trying to build something useful with young players who are already earning real trust.
The special teams still leave room for doubt
And yet this is where the caution kicks in. Colorado opened the season on September 30 with a 4-for-5 power play against Los Angeles, which looked promising. Since then, the power play has gone cold, while the penalty kill has stayed perfect. That split is useful, but it is also a little lopsided. Good teams usually want more than one side of special teams holding firm while the other searches for form.
That is why Maple Leafs vs Avalanche feels like a proper checkpoint rather than just another home game. Toronto is not arriving for a second chance later in the year. This is the only regular-season visit to Denver, and for Colorado that means one evening to show whether the structure is tightening up or whether the team is still relying on patches of good play to cover the gaps.
The encouraging part is obvious enough. Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews and Cale Makar are always capable of tilting a game, and the Avalanche clearly have young depth pieces beginning to matter. But the sharper truth is that depth and star power only go so far if the special teams are uneven and the margin for error keeps shrinking. Saturday night at Ball Arena is a useful test of whether Colorado is building momentum or merely bouncing from one extreme to another.
For a game that is only happening once in Denver this season, that is plenty to chew on.
