Oct 9, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates his goal with center Martin Necas (88) and left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) in the third period against the Utah Mammoth at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Avalanche Hold Off Mammoth for 2-1 Win

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Ryan Womeldorf | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 12:23 AM ET

The Colorado Avalanche held their home-opener of the 2025-26 season on Thursday night, hosting their division rival the Utah Mammoth at Ball Arena in Denver, CO. The Avalanche already had a game under their belt coming into the game, having defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on the NHL’s opening night on Tuesday.

Though they were far less explosive and dominant in this one, the Avalanche still managed to walk away with two points, especially important against a divisional opponent. Here’s the recap from the Avalanche’s 2-1 win over the Mammoth.

Game Recap

The game began with the two teams matched evenly, each side managing more than 10 shots apiece (the Avalanche led with 12 for the frame). The lone goal came around the halfway mark when Ross Colton took a quick feed from Jack Drury and buried it past a sprawling Karel Vejmelka to give the Avalanche the early advantage.

The Avalanche saw a reversal of fortunes in the second period, outshot substantially (11-4) by the Mammoth. Even still, Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood remained strong in net. Persistence by the Mammoth would pay off, however, when Dylan Guenther took a pass on the power play and one-timed it past Wedgewood to knot the score up at 1-1.

With things tied up heading into the third period, the Avalanche wasted little time gaining the edge. They earned their third power play of the night, and superstar Nathan MacKinnon took matters into his own hands. MacKinnon slid to the faceoff dot, took a pass from Cale Makar, and ripped an absolutely wicked shot over the glove of Vejmelka to give the Avalanche the lead once again.

Nathan MacKinnon’s first goal of the season is an absolute SNIPE pic.twitter.com/tH72rsysAI
— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) October 10, 2025

The remainder of the period would be a quiet one offensively for the Avalanche. Instead, they focused on clamping down the Mammoth, leaning on Wedgewood to close things out. Despite a late flurry, the Avalanche would hold on for their second victory of the season.

The Mammoth will continue their season on the road this Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Nashville Predators. The Avalanche, meanwhile, have a huge divisional showdown at home against the Dallas Stars tomorrow, Oct. 9, at 9 p.m. EST.