Regular-Season Recap: Games 1-41

Looking back at every game that led to the postseason!

I’m not entirely sure why I decided to do this. Honestly, I thought it’d be quick. It wasn’t. What started as a casual trip down memory lane turned into a full-scale excavation of every box score from the season to jog my memory. The regular season spanned 82 games over 187 days—which, if you're keeping score, is just over 51% of an entire year. So yeah, it was long.

Humblebrag time: I watched every single game. Sure, I missed bits and pieces here and there (life happens) but when I couldn’t watch on a screen, I listened to the radio call through the team app. That’s been the routine since the 2018–19 season. It's a point of pride.

My wife hates it. Possibly hates me a little, too. I wouldn’t blame her… the TV is ocupado 187 nights a year. She doesn’t think watching every game all season is as cool as I do.

But after living through 2016–17, I swore I’d never take this current Avalanche window for granted.

So, having lived the entirety of this season in real time, I wanted to revisit the full journey that led us to Dallas and the first round of the playoffs. I figured it’d take me a day to put together. I started the afternoon before the Kings game on Saturday. I finished Tuesday night.

Turns out, digging through every game and writing something “meaningful” about each one is… tedious. But it brought back a flood of memories, both the highs, the lows of the full ride that was 2024–25.

All told, the season recap ran close to 5,400 words, so I’m splitting it into two parts for the sake of everyone’s sanity (if you choose to even dig through it). Today, you get the first 41 games. The rest drops tomorrow.

I’d love to hear your favorite moments in the comments. My view of a game or moment might not match yours, so I want to hear your thoughts.

Hope you enjoy the ride.

(Next year, I’m making this document in real time…)

1 | Oct. 9 | at Vegas Golden Knights | L, 4-8
What stood out: Mikko’s hat trick was the lone bright spot in a rough opener. Vegas ran the show in the first and third periods, exposing a shaky start from the goaltending tandem. Georgiev gave up five, Justus allowed two more, and an empty-netter sealed the mess.

2 | Oct. 12 | Columbus Blue Jackets | L, 4-6
What stood out: Fall behind, come back… blow it. Second bad goaltending game of the season… for both.

3 | Oct. 14 | New York Islanders | L, 2-6
What stood out: Calum Ritchie scores his first (and, spoiler, only) NHL goal a minute into the game… against the very team he’ll be traded to later in the season. The guy coming back in that deal, Brock Nelson, pots his first two goals against the team he’ll eventually finish the season with. Meanwhile, Georgiev stinks again. This might be turning into a thing.

4 | Oct. 16 | Boston Bruins | L, 3-5
What stood out: Keeping the theme alive: Boston’s Charlie Coyle nets his first goal of the season… against the team he’ll eventually join in the city he’ll eventually call home.