Nhl Avalanche 4-2 Mammoth (Feb 25, 2026) Game Recap — nhl restart in Salt Lake City

nhl-leading Avalanche beat the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night in the first game for both teams following the three-week break for the Winter Olympics in Italy. Brock Nelson scored his 30th goal of the season as Colorado produced a four-goal second period to secure the win.

Nhl restart in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — The NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-2 on Wednesday night. The game was the first for both teams after a three-week Olympic pause and capped a frantic second period when most of the scoring occurred.

Second-period scoring sequence

Parker Kelly opened the scoring at 3: 26 of the second period, splitting two defenders and snapping the puck around Karel Vejmelka’s side. Victor Olofsson followed with another snap shot six minutes later. Brock Nelson scored on a slap shot to make it 3-1 with 7: 40 left in the second. Martin Nečas also scored for Colorado as part of what was described as Colorado’s four-goal second period. Dylan Guenther scored twice in the second period for Utah; Logan Cooley assisted on Guenther’s second goal after Cooley returned for Utah following a 28-game absence because of a lower-body injury.

Goaltending and saves

Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves for Colorado. Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 shots for the Mammoth.

Returns, injuries and individual notes

Logan Cooley returned after missing 28 games with a lower-body injury. Before that injury, Cooley had 23 points in Utah’s first 29 games and led the Mammoth with 14 goals. Cooley assisted on Guenther’s second goal in this game.

Recent results and meeting history

This was the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the teams. Earlier results between the clubs: Colorado won 2-1 in Denver on October 9th; Utah won 4-3 in overtime in Utah on October 21st; Colorado won 1-0 at home on December 23rd. In six previous regular-season games against the Mammoth, the Avalanche had a record of 4-1-1.

Trade and roster movement

On Tuesday morning the Avalanche announced they had traded defenseman Sam Girard, along with their second round pick in 2028, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Brett Kulak. Kulak, 32, was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in the deal that sent him and goaltender Stuart Skinner to Pittsburgh. During his brief tenure with the Penguins, Kulak scored one goal and added six assists for a total of seven points in twenty-five games. He had two assists in thirty-one games played with Edmonton earlier this season. The move represents a drop from his previous season with Edmonton, when he set career bests with seven goals, 18 assists and 25 points.

Coach comments and incomplete note

Coach Jared Bednar praised Kulak’s size, skating and defensive ability: “You’re getting a big, solid D that can skate, and defend real well, and move the puck. He does a lot of good things, a guy that has been to back to back Stanley Cup Finals, and was an integral part of [Edmonton’s] blue line, and what they were trying to do as a team. We like the player a lot, and so, we’re excited. ” He added, “This is a big, strong guy that defends really well. He’s got a ton of experience as well. It’s just a different look for us, right? I think Kulak’s a guy, that depending on how you’re matching up in the playoffs, that he can go up and play with a guy like Cale if I want to move [Toews] against another team’s top line. […] Maybe Kulak can go up and Toews can go down and he can take care of that matchup with a guy like Manson. It gives us flexibility there that I don’t think we necessarily had with [Girard]. ” Bednar noted that Kulak, along with most of the unclear in the provided context

Olympics and player medals

The Avalanche were one of three teams that sent at least eight players to the Winter Olympics in Italy. Martin Nečas was selected to play for Czechia. Gabriel Landeskog returned to the Olympic stage representing Sweden as its team captain. Joel Kiviranta and Artturi Lehkonen were selected to the Finland roster and captured the bronze medal. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Devon Toews played for Canada and earned the silver medal. Brock Nelson, a third-generation Olympian, captured gold for the United States, adding the fourth Olympic gold medal to his family mantle, joining his grandfather Bill Christian and great uncle Roger Christian (Squaw Valley, 1960) and his uncle Dave Christian (Lake Placid, 1980).

Statistical context and recent form

Nathan MacKinnon is listed as leading the league in goals with 40, is second in points with 93 and tied for third in assists with 53. Cale Makar is tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in points with 57 and in assists with 42 while tied for fifth among blueliners in goals with 15. Martin Nečas has 51 even-strength points this season, tied for the fifth most in the league. Brock Nelson’s 13 goals since January 1st are tied for the most in the league. Colorado’s. 908 team save percentage on the road is tied for the second highest in the league. Nelson is also noted as being tied for 10th in the nhl in goals in another listing, while he scored his 30th in the Salt Lake City game.

Recent Mammoth notes

The Mammoth defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at Delta Center on Wednesday, February 4th. In that game Sean Durzi scored at 57 seconds and Nick Schmaltz added a power-play tally at 8: 11 in the first period. Dylan Guenther gave Utah a 3-0 lead at 4: 40 of the third period. Detroit made it 3-1 when Dylan Larkin scored on the power play at 15: 52 of the final frame. Clayton Keller scored an empty-net goal at 17: 42 of the third to make it 4-1. Keller leads the Mammoth in points with 54 and assists with 37 while ranking fourth in goals with 17. Guenther leads the Mammoth in goals with 25, is third in points with 47 and fifth in assists with 22. Nick Schmaltz is second on the Mammoth in goals, assists and points.

Avalanche: Host Minnesota on Thursday night. Mammoth: Host Minnesota on Friday night.

“Just super happy to be here, be back here. [I] missed these guys. Obviously, it was nice with the national team [at The Winter] Olympics [on a] big stage. But, we [have] got some work to do here, and I’m excited. ” unclear in the provided context

Closing: Colorado’s win in Salt Lake City resumed play after the Olympic break and combined scoring bursts, goaltending saves and a notable roster trade as the Avalanche begin a stretch of five games in seven days.