Home ice has not been much of an advantage for the Avalanche in the postseason

The Colorado Avalanche have struggled at Ball Arena in the playoffs the past few years. With home ice advantage in their control, the Avs are looking to reverse the trend they've set

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Apr 23, 2025, 12:14 PM

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Watch: Why haven't the Avs gotten a deal done with Cale Makar? | Stokley and Evans with Mark Schlereth | 1 min

Ball Arena, the home of the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets, has been thought of as one of the toughest places to play in both the NHL and the NBA, especially when the playoffs roll around. The combination of the altitude and the crowd noise makes it a challenging place to play for any road team coming into town to steal a win on the road.

Or so it seems.

After the Avalanche won Game 2 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final in dominant fashion, a 7-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, their record improved to 7-2 at Ball Arena during that run. Since then, the Avs are just 3-7 when playing a playoff game in the Mile High City. That includes a loss to clinch the Stanley Cup in Game 5 in 2022, a 2-1 loss against the Seattle Kraken in Game 7 of the 2023 first round, and a double overtime loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals.

This year, the Avs are looking to rewrite the story.

“It’s tough to speak on how much home ice means in the playoffs … and we definitely have to take advantage of that,” Cale Makar said at morning skate on Wednesday. “We got such a great crowd here so it should be an exciting one tonight.”

The Avalanche had 26 wins on home ice in the NHL in the regular season this year, the 10th-best mark in the league. Just a year ago, the Avs won 31 home games, which was the best number in the league.

Home ice advantage now sits with Colorado after stealing Game 1 on the road in dominant fashion to open the playoffs. With the buzz in the city surrounding the imminent return of captain Gabriel Landeskog, the energy in the arena should be like it was back for the Stanley Cup Final in 2022.

Puck drop for Game 3 is set for 7:30 p.m. from Ball Arena.