DENVER — Scott Wedgewood saved the night.
An ugly win is still a win.
Ross Colton electrified the crowd with a dazzling early goal, and Nathan MacKinnon broke the deadlock early in the third to lift the Colorado
Avalanche to a gritty 2–1 win over the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night at Ball Arena. But the true hero was Wedgewood. Despite a slew of defensive miscues throughout the night, Wedgewood stood tall, delivering one brilliant save after another to keep Colorado’s perfect start to the season intact.
“Stone Cold Wedgewood”
Colorado opened the scoring 10:57 into the first period with a beautifully executed sequence that showcased their precision and pace. Samuel Girard hit Victor Olofsson with a glorious stretch pass who then carried the puck through the neutral zone with speed, gaining the offensive zone before lofting a deft saucer pass to Jack Drury at the left faceoff dot. In one fluid motion, Drury redirected the puck across the slot to Ross Colton, who hammered a one-timer top shelf for the finish. The crisp, three-man passing play ignited the crowd and set the tone for the night. Colorado finished the first period holding onto that 1-0 lead.
In the second period it was crucial that Wedgewood delivered a commanding performance between the pipes turning aside a barrage of chances with poise and precision. Locked in from the opening puck drop, he appeared untouchable—calm, composed, and utterly dialed in. The only puck to elude him came on a sharp power-play strike from Dylan Guenther. After Utah won the draw, Clayton Keller immediately fed Guenther a one-timer and he destroyed it from just inside the blue line to tie the game at one. And that is how the first 40 minutes of play ended.
While things may have been tense early in the third period, MacKinnon scored a power play goal 2:53 into the third to give the Avalanche the lead and ultimately the 2-1 victory. Utah pulled their goaltender late for the extra attacker but it didn’t change the score.
Time and again, Wedgewood challenged shooters aggressively, stepping out to the top of the crease on multiple breakaways to shrink shooting lanes and dictate the play. He finished the night with a stellar .969 save percentage and stopped 31 of 32 shots in a virtuoso goaltending display. Just before Guenther scored, a turnover from Colorado allowed the streaky winger to go on a breakaway, only to be turned away by Wedgewood. Guenther had a team-high seven shots on goal for the Mammoth. Despite improving to 2-0 on the season, it was a sloppy game from Colorado as they got outshot 33-27.
Takeaways
The second period was a dismal stretch for the Avalanche, marked by a lack of offensive execution and costly mistakes. Colorado managed just four shots on goal over the entire frame—despite earning two power-play opportunities that failed to produce any results. Sloppy puck management compounded the issue, as a string of turnovers repeatedly left Wedgewood to bail the team out in difficult situations. Realistically, this could have been a 5–2 defeat if not for a few timely saves. A win is still a win, but the performance underscored plenty of areas that will demand immediate attention moving forward.
Upcoming
A big early season showdown when the Dallas Stars come to town at 7:00 p.m. back at Ball Arena on Saturday, October 11th.
