Nhl Scores: nhl scores — Avalanche 4-2 Mammoth; Necas, Kelly Each Have 2 Points
nhl scores: The Colorado Avalanche beat the Utah Mammoth 4-2 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, scoring four times in the second period. Martin Necas and Parker Kelly each had a goal and an assist in the game that followed a three-week Olympic break.
Nhl Scores and second-period surge
Colorado’s scoring outburst in the second produced all four goals in the 4-2 victory. Brock Nelson and Victor Olofsson were among the scorers for the Avalanche; Nelson’s tally in that period was his 30th goal of the season. The Avalanche scored four times in the second period to turn the game in their favor.
Sequence of goals and overturned call
Nelson had an apparent goal at 8: 37 of the first period after tipping a shot from Brent Burns, but Utah successfully challenged for goaltender interference and the play was overturned. In the second, Parker Kelly gave Colorado a 1-0 lead at 3: 26 with a wrist shot that beat Karel Vejmelka on the blocker side. Victor Olofsson made it 2-0 at 9: 13 on a wrist shot off a pass from Sam Malinski. Dylan Guenther’s power-play one-timer off a Mikhail Sergachev pass cut the lead to 2-1 at 10: 49. Nelson extended Colorado’s lead to 3-1 at 12: 20 with a one-timer off a Gabriel Landeskog pass. Martin Necas also scored and finished with a goal and an assist for Colorado.
Lineup notes and Olympic absences
Nathan MacKinnon was not in the Avalanche lineup after playing in Team Canada’s 2-1 overtime loss to Team USA in the gold medal game of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Sunday. Colorado coach Jared Bednar said he expects MacKinnon to play against the Minnesota Wild at home on Thursday. With MacKinnon out, Brock Nelson moved up to center the top line with Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog.
Goaltending and saves
Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves for Colorado. Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 shots for the Mammoth. Wedgewood’s saves helped preserve the Avalanche lead after the second-period surge.
Utah return, Cooley and Guenther
Logan Cooley returned to the Mammoth lineup after missing the previous 28 games with a lower-body injury and recorded an assist on Dylan Guenther’s second goal; before the injury Cooley had 23 points in Utah’s first 29 games and led the Mammoth with 14 goals. Guenther scored twice in the second for Utah. Utah coach Andre Tourigny said, “We played a good team, but I didn't like our grind. I didn't like our physicality. I thought we didn't have the pace we should have in our zone and on the forecheck. I don't think we were the fastest team tonight, and that's what makes us special. We need to realize that and be much better next game. ” Cooley said of his return, “Personally, it felt pretty good. It's good to be back out there with the guys. It's no fun sitting in the stands watching them. It kind of felt like a long journey. There was a lot of hard work that went into it…It felt good to be back, but now it kind of shifts to the team and how we need to be better. ”
Reactions and records
Bednar assessed the game: “I thought it was all right. I think the guys played hard. They were committed to the way we want to play. There were some sloppy plays on both sides that led to some real good scoring chances for and against…Overall, I've got to say no passengers, so I have to be pretty happy with it. ” Parker Kelly, who had a goal and an assist, said, “Obviously, we miss [MacKinnon] and he's a big part of our team, but we have a lot of guys who can step up and play important minutes. I think that's kind of just a test to next-man-up mentality, and it's kind of what's been going on all year. ” Dylan Guenther described his play after the layoff: “You haven't played for a while, so you want to make nice plays. You don't really have your A-game yet, so just playing your B-game solid, and I thought we did that better in the third. ”
The Avalanche improved to 38-9-9 and have won three of their past four games. The Mammoth fell to 30-24-4; they had entered the game having won two in a row.
Colorado hosted Minnesota on Thursday night and Utah was scheduled to host Minnesota on Friday night.
Kulak made his debut for Colorado in the game at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Game context and schedule
The matchup was the first game for both teams following the three-week break for the Olympics. Dylan Guenther’s two goals and Logan Cooley’s return were key storylines for Utah, while Nelson’s 30th goal, Necas’s contribution and Kelly’s two-point performance underlined Colorado’s depth in MacKinnon’s absence.
nhl scores across the league will reflect the Avalanche’s 4-2 win over the Mammoth and the individual marks recorded on Feb. 25, 2026.
Closing: Colorado’s 4-2 victory at Delta Center featured a four-goal second period, a successful Utah challenge that erased an early Nelson goal, and multiple lineup developments as both teams resumed play after the Olympic break.
