Ball Arena became Denver’s hottest New Year’s Eve party on Wednesday night, well before anyone was ready to ring in the new year.
The Colorado Avalanche finished the 2025 portion of their schedule by obliterating the St. Louis Blues, 6-1, an emphatic punctuation of what has been a surreal start to this campaign. Valeri Nichushkin had a hat trick, Nathan MacKinnon scored his 400th career goal, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 12 saves just hours after being left off the Canadian team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
Colorado scored four goals in the opening 4:39 against Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who will join MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Devon Toews in Northern Italy, and the Avs a fifth goal ruled out after a challenge for goaltender interference.