Avalanche, Mammoth and Wild stay perfect as Hawks stumble — Central Division roundup

Avalanche roll to statement win

The Colorado Avalanche wasted no time sending a message to the rest of the Central. A 6-1 rout of the St. Louis Blues bumps Colorado into sole possession of first place in the division with a perfect 2-0-0 record and 4 points. Just two games into the season, the Avalanche have already carved out a small cushion on the pack, taking full advantage of a schedule that’s allowed them to start fast. For the Blues, who opened with a win, the loss drops them to 1-1-0 and 2 points and underscores just how thin the margin is against a direct division rival.

Utah backs up the hype

The Utah Mammoth are living up to the early buzz. A 4-1 victory in Columbus keeps Utah perfect at 2-0-0 with 4 points, tied with Colorado and Minnesota at the top of the Central. Coming off a playoff berth and a dominant season opener, the Mammoth are following the script laid out in recent days: turn last year’s breakthrough into a genuine rise up the division in 2026‑27. In a Central described as unforgiving, every point banked in October could matter when the playoff race tightens.

On the other side, St. Louis suddenly has less room for error, even after bringing in forward Mason McTavish via a draft‑day trade from Anaheim. The young Blues newcomer is looking to reset his career in St. Louis, but with three teams still unbeaten in the Central, the chase pack can’t afford many missteps.

Wild steady, Hawks and Stars searching

The Minnesota Wild quietly kept pace with the leaders. A 4-1 home win over the Boston Bruins moves Minnesota to 2-0-0 and 4 points, right alongside Colorado and Utah at the top of the division. The Wild may not be making as much noise off the ice, but on it they’re firmly in the early mix.

At the other end of the standings, it was another rough night for Chicago and Dallas. The Chicago Blackhawks dropped a 4-3 decision in Buffalo and sink to 0-3-0, last in the Central with no points. The Dallas Stars fell 2-1 in Nashville and sit at 0-2-0, joining Chicago as the only Central teams still without a point. The Predators improve to 1-1-0 (2 points), slotting in behind St. Louis and ahead of the idle Winnipeg Jets (0-0-1, 1 point).