Nhl Scores: Avalanche’s Post‑Olympics Second‑Period Barrage and the Ripple Effect for Colorado, Utah and Fans

Here’s why this game moves the needle: Nhl Scores from Wednesday’s matchup show Colorado converting a dominant middle period into a 4-2 win that immediately affects line deployment, roster availability and short‑term schedules for both clubs. The result — played at Delta Center in Salt Lake City — changed which players draw key minutes and pushed returning and debuting skaters back into pivotal roles for upcoming home dates.

Nhl Scores and the immediate impacts on players, lines and schedules

The Avalanche’s four‑goal second period did more than decide a single game; it forced quick line reassignments and amplified the immediate importance of returnees and debuts. With Nathan MacKinnon not in the lineup after playing in Team Canada’s 2-1 overtime loss to Team USA in the Olympic gold medal game at the Winter Games in Milano Cortina 2026, Brock Nelson moved up to center the top line alongside Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog and scored his 30th goal of the season on a slap shot with 7: 40 remaining in the second.

Game details and how the scoring unfolded

• Final score: Avalanche 4, Mammoth 2 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
• Colorado’s second period produced four goals that decided the game.
• Parker Kelly opened the scoring at 3: 26 of the second with a wrist shot past Karel Vejmelka’s blocker.
• Victor Olofsson made it 2-0 at 9: 13 on a wrist shot from a Sam Malinski pass.
• Dylan Guenther cut the lead to 2-1 with a power‑play one‑timer at 10: 49 off a Mikhail Sergachev pass.
• Brock Nelson’s one‑timer at 12: 20 (slap shot noted at 7: 40 left in the period) extended the lead to 3-1, from a Gabriel Landeskog feed.
• Martin Necas and Parker Kelly each finished with a goal and an assist for Colorado.

Returns, debuts and roster notes that shaped the night

Logan Cooley returned to Utah’s lineup after missing the previous 28 games with a lower‑body injury and recorded an assist on Dylan Guenther’s second goal. Before his injury, Cooley had 23 points in Utah’s first 29 games and led the Mammoth with 14 goals; those pre‑injury totals were part of his profile heading into the return. On Colorado’s side, Kulak made his Avalanche debut in this game.

• Cooley’s return: assist in first game back after 28 missed contests; pre‑injury totals included 23 points in 29 games and 14 goals led the team.
• Kulak: debut appearance for Colorado.
• Nelson: moved to top center role with Necas and Landeskog while MacKinnon sat out.

Here’s the part that matters for coaches: those personnel shifts altered matchups immediately and will influence weekend home assignments.

Goaltending, records and short‑term form

Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves for Colorado; Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 shots for Utah. The win left Colorado with a 38-9-9 record and extended a run to three wins in their past four games. Utah entered the night at 30-24-4 and had won two straight games before this loss.

Schedule implications and the next stops on the calendar

Both teams were playing their first game after the three‑week Olympic break. Colorado is scheduled to host Minnesota on Thursday night (ET), and Utah is scheduled to host Minnesota on Friday night (ET). Nathan MacKinnon, who played in the Olympic gold medal game on Sunday for Team Canada, was not in the Colorado lineup Wednesday, but the coach expects him to be available for the Avalanche’s home game on Thursday.

• Mini timeline of notable in‑game moments: 8: 37 of the first — a Brock Nelson goal was overturned after a successful Utah challenge for goaltender interference; second period — Kelly (3: 26), Olofsson (9: 13), Guenther PP (10: 49), Nelson (12: 20).

• Key takeaways: Colorado’s middle period decisiveness; Nelson’s 30th goal and temporary top‑line role; Logan Cooley’s return with an assist; Kulak’s debut for the Avalanche; Wedgewood (28 saves) and Vejmelka (21 saves) bookending each team’s net.

Utah’s coach noted the team lacked the pace and physicality he expects and said they must be better in the next outing; Colorado’s coach praised commitment while acknowledging sloppy plays led to chances both ways and that he saw no passengers on the ice. It’s easy to overlook, but the quick rotation of lines and the return/debut timeline will be among the real tests for both clubs over the coming home dates.

Writer's aside: The mix of Olympic absences, a debut and a returning scorer made this game a condensed laboratory for coaches to test depth under short timelines; that pressure often reveals which lineup adjustments will stick into the next week.