The energy inside Ball Arena on Monday night felt like a playoff game in May, but the final score of Avs game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tells a much more complicated story. A 4-3 overtime loss. It sounds simple enough. One team scores four, the other three, everybody goes home with at least a point. But if you were watching the ice, you know that’s not really what happened.
Colorado lost more than just a game; they lost their invincibility at home.
That 17-game winning streak at Ball Arena? Gone. Snapped by a William Nylander shot that found air through rookie Trent Miner’s five-hole at 3:59 of the extra period. It was a heartbreaker for a team that has looked basically unbeatable in Denver all season. Honestly, the Avalanche are still sitting atop the Central Division with a massive 30-2-7 record, but this loss felt different. It felt heavy.
Breaking Down the Score of Avs Game vs. Toronto
The game was a back-and-forth track meet. Toronto struck first when Easton Cowan’s shot took a weird deflection at 11:15 of the first period. You could feel the crowd tense up, but Cale Makar—the guy who seems to have a "break glass in case of emergency" button on his stick—tied it up a few minutes later.
Then came the "Marty Party."
The Key Scoring Moments
- 16:12 (1st): Cale Makar blasts his 14th of the year after a ridiculous spin-o-rama move by Martin Necas.
- 17:53 (1st): Brock Nelson rips a one-timer on the power play. 2-1 Avs.
- 02:12 (2nd): Bobby McMann capitalizes on a breakaway to tie it for Toronto.
- 10:24 (3rd): Auston Matthews finds the net during a four-on-four stretch.
- 12:55 (3rd): Martin Necas ties it again from the doorstep.
- 03:59 (OT): William Nylander ends it.
Nathan MacKinnon was everywhere. He had three assists. He tied Peter Stastny for the second-most multi-point games in the history of the franchise (313). That’s legendary territory. But even with MacKinnon playing like a man possessed, the Avalanche couldn't close the door.
The Goalie Situation Nobody Wants to Talk About
Look, Trent Miner has been a savior. With Mackenzie Blackwood out with a lower-body injury and Scott Wedgewood "dinged up," the kid from the AHL has been thrown into the deep end. He looked incredible against Columbus last Saturday, recording a 29-save shutout in his first NHL win.
But against Toronto? The skill gap showed.
Toronto is a different beast. When you have Nylander and Matthews coming at you, 29 shots on goal feels like 100. Miner made 31 saves, and most were high-quality. He kept them in it during the second period when Toronto was tilting the ice. Still, allowing four goals on 35 shots is a tough pill to swallow when you're used to the Vezina-level goaltending Blackwood provides.
Fatigue is Becoming a Real Factor
The Avalanche are tired. Plain and simple.
They just finished a stretch of six games in ten nights. That is a brutal schedule for any team, let alone one dealing with injuries to Devon Toews and Gabe Landeskog. Head coach Jared Bednar has been vocal about the "grind" of January. The score of Avs game on Monday was largely a result of heavy legs in the third period and overtime.
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When you lose your top-pair defenseman (Toews) and your captain (Landeskog), the minutes start to pile up on Makar and MacKinnon. It's unsustainable. Makar is currently leading the league in ice time for defensemen, and while he’s a machine, even machines need an oil change.
Why the Home Streak Mattered
For fans, that 17-game home win streak was a point of pride. It was only one game away from matching the franchise record set during the 2021-22 Stanley Cup season. Losing it to a Canadian rival like Toronto—especially in overtime—is a bitter pill.
Ball Arena hasn't seen a regulation loss since November. The atmosphere has been electric, but the "Mile High Magic" took a night off. The team's home record now stands at 19-0-2. Still impressive? Absolutely. But the "0" in the loss column was a psychological armor that has now been pierced.
What's Next for the Avalanche?
Thankfully, the schedule-makers are finally giving them a breather. They have an optional practice on Tuesday, a full day off Wednesday, and they don't play again until Friday.
They need it.
The next score of Avs game to watch for will be against the Nashville Predators on January 16th. Nashville is sitting at 18-17-4, and they’ve won two in a row. They’ll be looking to catch Colorado while they’re nursing their wounds.
Immediate Priorities for the Team:
- Rest and Recovery: Getting Scott Wedgewood healthy enough to start is vital to give Miner a break.
- Special Teams Meeting: The power play went 1-for-3 on Monday, but it felt stagnant at times.
- Depth Scoring: With Landeskog out, the team needs more than just the "Big Three" to carry the load.
If you’re tracking the standings, don’t panic. The Avs are still the class of the Western Conference. This loss to Toronto was a "scheduled loss" in many ways—the end of a long road, a backup goalie, and a desperate opponent.
To keep your edge as a fan, watch the injury report for Devon Toews. His return to the blue line will do more for the Colorado defense than any practice session. Keep an eye on the Friday night puck drop at 7:00 PM MT; that game will tell us if the Toronto loss was a fluke or the start of a mid-season slump. Recharging the battery is the only thing that matters right now.