Five NHL games in seven days. It sounds ridiculous because it is.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, that\u2019s what awaits the Colorado Avalanche when they return from the Olympic break.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re back-to-back, day (off), play, day (off), back-to-back,\u201d Josh Manson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crazy, indeed, but it\u2019s the schedule the Avalanche have been given. Colorado has the fourth-easiest strength of schedule remaining, according to Tankathon, which calculates the combined points percentage of all the remaining opponents for each team. While that may be true, lack of days off could be the ultimate equalizer, and there are important games that could play a major role in determining seeding.<\/p>\n
Three of the first seven games out of the break will be against the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, the two teams chasing the Avalanche for first in the Central. Both have closed the gap on Colorado, which holds a five-point lead over the Wild for first place, although the Avalanche have games in hand and own the tiebreakers against both of them. When NHL games start back up again, the Avalanche will have to be ready to hit the ground running.<\/p>\n
As one of the oldest teams in the league, they\u2019ll need this time off to rest and refuel for the stretch run.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770323473_333_AP26036204761637-1024x683.jpg\")
San Jose Sharks center MacKlin Celebrini, center, battles for control of thge puck with Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, right, as center Brock Nelson covers in the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n
It sounds like it\u2019s coming at a good time, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we need (the break) right now,\u201d Jared Bednar said. \u201cIf we would have been rolling into this break, you\u2019re always nervous about how you\u2019re going to come out of it. I\u2019m still nervous about how we\u2019re going to come out of it, but I think we need it right now. We haven\u2019t been playing fantastic hockey. We\u2019ve been grinding and fighting mental fatigue, just physical fatigue in general for some time, so I think the break\u2019s coming at a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not all of the players will get a break. The Avalanche have eight representatives at the Olympics, so they\u2019ll keep playing. Most of them don\u2019t leave for Milan until the weekend. The first games are Wednesday, so they will get a little time off, but not as much as the guys who won\u2019t be headed to Italy.<\/p>\n
Some members of the Avalanche are headed on vacation with Hawaii the popular choice. Manson\u2019s brother is getting married and he\u2019s on speech duty, so that will occupy a large portion of the break. The Olofssons are expecting their second child during the break while the Wedgewoods just welcomed theirs, so their respective breaks will include some important family time.<\/p>\n
No matter where they\u2019re all headed during the break, they know they must be ready when they return.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a grind,\u201d Manson said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be exhausting. You\u2019ve got to find ways to manage your body. Physical (grind) for sure, but it\u2019ll be a mental grind.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770323474_182_AP26036206504458-1024x683.jpg\")
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (42), with right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) and other teammates, reacts after defeating the San Jose Sharks in an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n
With 27 games over the final 52 days of their schedule, the Avalanche won\u2019t be practicing much. In fact, the majority of their morning skates will likely be optional the rest of the way. That\u2019s been the norm for Colorado this season, so the players are used to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what else we can do,\u201d Bednar said. \u201cWe\u2019re not practicing. We\u2019re (having) optional morning skates. We\u2019ve kind of been running on that late-season mentality all year for the most part, and that\u2019s all we can do. We\u2019re not going to rest guys in games.. \u2026 We\u2019ll need to be a four-line team. Everyone will have to be involved, and that\u2019s all you can really do.\u201d<\/p>\n
With their best players headed overseas for the Olympics, Bednar, like everyone else, will be hoping they all return to the Avalanche healthy. They\u2019ll need them to lock up the top seed going into the postseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worry about injuries, but it\u2019s either play or sit them in the stands and we don\u2019t want to be doing that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have any choice and we play the schedule that we\u2019re given.\u201d<\/p>\n
What I\u2019m hearing<\/p>\n
Chris MacFarland was spotted at multiple Columbus Blue Jackets games over the last few weeks. That could mean anything in terms of a potential trade, but it\u2019s important to note that MacFarland is frequently in Columbus because of his previous time working in the organization. The Blue Jackets are also the hottest team in the league right now, so they may not plan on selling off any of their players prior to the trade deadline.<\/p>\n
Bednar said on Altitude Sports Radio he\u2019s comfortable with the lineup he has right now, but that MacFarland will almost certainly add depth at the very least. If these last few weeks have shown us anything, it\u2019s that this team could use some extra bodies for the stretch run. Yes, the Avalanche have had a few injuries. But a few injuries shouldn\u2019t lead to multiple fourth liners playing fewer than 5 minutes a night. You can\u2019t win a Cup without depth you can trust.<\/p>\n
What I\u2019m seeing<\/p>\n
Only the Vancouver Canucks have fewer regulation wins in the Western Conference than the Los Angeles Kings. Yet it was the Kings on Wednesday who made a big trade to make a run this season. Under normal circumstances, that would be ridiculous. But Artemi Panarin only wanted to go to L.A., so the Kings got a pretty good deal, giving up a good prospect and a conditional mid-round pick. Panarin immediately signed a short-term extension with the Kings. I don\u2019t think L.A. has any chance of winning the Stanley Cup, but I don\u2019t blame it for making that deal. The Kings acquired a really good player for very little and, because they\u2019re the king of the loser point, there\u2019s a chance the Avalanche could see them in the first round.<\/p>\n
The two worst power plays in the NHL are owned by the Avalanche and Utah Mammoth. The two highest-scoring teams in the NHL at 5-on-5 are the Avalanche and Mammoth. How does that make any sense? Imagine if these two teams meet in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
What I\u2019m thinking<\/p>\n
The San Jose Sharks are fun, but that doesn\u2019t look like a playoff team. Their defense isn\u2019t good enough. We\u2019ll likely have to wait a little longer to see Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini go head-to-head in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Never seen a player\u2019s body fat percentage get as much attention as Matvei Michkov\u2019s is in Philadelphia. The 21-year-old admitted he didn\u2019t come to camp in as good a shape as he could have and he\u2019s paying for it this season. But it\u2019s strange how much Rick Tocchet and their management talks about it. Some issues require a declined comment. Michkov is a talented player who hopefully learns from all this, but it feels wrong for the Flyers to put such a large spotlight on it. That\u2019s not a good team and they\u2019re going to need to keep a good working relationship with their most-talented forward if they want to turn it around.<\/p>\n
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