The Avalanche are ready to start their 2025-26 slate, and it begins on the road: opening night is Oct. 7 at the Kings. That’s a clean first look at how Colorado stacks up against a Western playoff regular and a good pace check for the top line right away.
Here’s how the schedule shapes up without getting lost in the weeds:
Early tone setters
Oct. 7 at Kings to open the season, a fast-track test against a structured team in a loud building.
The first two weeks mix in more Western opponents than usual for October, which should reveal where the five-on-five pressure game sits out of the gate.
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Division nights that always matter
Central showdowns with Dallas, Minnesota, Winnipeg and St. Louis will again swing seeding. Those four packs of games usually decide whether the Avs chase the Presidents’ Trophy pace or manage minutes and health for April.
Back-to-backs inside the Central are where goalie management and special teams depth pay off.
Long hauls and the breathers
Expect at least one extended November road swing through the Pacific and another stretch after the holidays. Those weeks tend to compress travel and limit practice time, so bottom-six scoring and blue line minutes behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews become critical.
The schedule typically flips in late winter with a friendlier run of home dates. Banking points there keeps the chase for home ice in range.
Holiday spotlights and matinees
Black Friday and New Year’s week usually bring national windows. Colorado has handled those stages well, and they’re perfect measuring sticks against elite Eastern opponents.
Olympic pause
The league stops in February for the 2026 Winter Games. That creates a burst of games before and after the break, with little recovery time. Rotations around Nathan MacKinnon’s line and the second power-play unit will need to be tight to avoid post-break lulls.
Road map to the season
Win the opener’s details in LA, tread water on the long early trips, and stack points when Ball Arena turns into a runway of home dates late. If the Avs’ penalty kill stays sharp and the second line drives five-on-five chance share, Colorado will be right back in the mix for the conference’s top seed.
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