Empty-Net Lab · Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche Goalie Pull Tracker
When the Avalanche pull the goalie down one and down two, how that compares with the rest of the league and with past coaches, what happens while the net is empty at both ends, and who is on the ice for it.
When the Avalanche pull the goalie, 2025-26
Share of late deficits with the goalie pulled, by time left in the 3rd period
When the Avalanche pull the goalie, 2025-26. COL down 1: half pulled by 2:19 remaining, 90% pulled with 2:00 left (23 trailing spells); COL down 2: half pulled by 3:38 remaining, 100% pulled with 2:00 left (12 trailing spells); NHL down 1: half pulled by 2:00 remaining, 51% pulled with 2:00 left (831 trailing spells).
Avalanche goalie pulls by coach
| Coach | Seasons | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | Tied it, down 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jared Bednar | 2017-18 to 2025-26 | 1:54 (188) | 46% | 3:01 (158) | 17 / 114 |
Regular season since 2017-18, every club of the franchise. In brackets: late deficits behind the median; coaches with fewer than 10 are a small sample.
Avalanche season by season
| Season | Median pull, down 1 | Median pull, down 2 | 6v5 time | GF pulled | ENG against | ENG for | GA vs extra attacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | – (0) | – (0) | 0:00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | 2:19 (23) | 3:38 (12) | 36:06 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 2 |
| 2024-25 | 2:02 (26) | 3:01 (28) | 71:32 | 12 | 21 | 27 | 4 |
| 2023-24 | 1:48 (21) | 3:10 (12) | 30:14 | 2 | 13 | 19 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | 2:05 (21) | 3:12 (17) | 36:08 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 2 |
| 2021-22 | 1:43 (19) | 2:59 (20) | 32:40 | 9 | 12 | 20 | 10 |
| 2020-21 | 1:58 (8) | 4:21 (8) | 15:26 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 4 |
| 2019-20 | 2:18 (19) | 9:03 (13) | 29:43 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 8 |
| 2018-19 | 1:45 (29) | 3:03 (23) | 44:32 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 3 |
| 2017-18 | 1:42 (22) | 2:17 (25) | 34:03 | 1 | 11 | 20 | 9 |
Who is on the ice for the Avalanche, 2025-26
Extra attacker (6-on-5)
- Nathan MacKinnon33:03 · 92%
- Martin Necas30:52 · 92%
- Cale Makar30:06 · 93%
- Brock Nelson29:09 · 81%
- Valeri Nichushkin20:08 · 58%
- Artturi Lehkonen17:30 · 60%
- Gabriel Landeskog13:12 · 62%
- Nazem Kadri10:01 · 88%
Empty-net defense
- Nathan MacKinnon29:36 · 59%
- Devon Toews28:20 · 55%
- Brent Burns26:17 · 47%
- Brock Nelson24:19 · 44%
- Cale Makar23:29 · 49%
- Gabriel Landeskog23:04 · 48%
- Artturi Lehkonen21:08 · 38%
- Josh Manson20:24 · 39%
Empty-net goals
- Nathan MacKinnon8 G, 5 A
- Martin Necas3 G, 7 A
- Cale Makar3 G, 2 A
- Brock Nelson2 G, 3 A
- Valeri Nichushkin2 G, 3 A
- Ross Colton2 G, 0 A
- Gabriel Landeskog1 G, 4 A
- Jack Drury1 G, 2 A
% = share of the team's time in that situation in the games the player dressed. Empty-net defense time is where empty-net goals come from.
Recent Avalanche goalie pulls
| Date | Opponent | Down | Pulled with | Time pulled | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5 | STL | 1 | 2:00 | 1:25 | No goal |
| Apr 1 | VAN | 1 | 2:15 | 0:46 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 1 | VAN | 2 | 1:29 | 1:29 | No goal |
| Mar 28 | WPG | 1 | 2:19 | 0:10 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 28 | WPG | 2 | 2:01 | 2:01 | No goal |
| Mar 14 | WPG | 2 | 3:43 | 2:19 | Scored |
| Mar 14 | WPG | 1 | 1:00 | 0:18 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 14 | WPG | 2 | 0:42 | 0:42 | No goal |
| Mar 10 | EDM | 1 | 2:10 | 2:10 | No goal |
| Mar 6 | DAL | 1 | 1:47 | 1:32 | Scored |
| Feb 26 | MIN | 2 | 3:48 | 0:26 | Empty-net goal against |
| Feb 26 | MIN | 3+ | 3:12 | 2:15 | Scored |
FAQ
When do the Avalanche pull their goalie?
In 2025-26 under Jared Bednar, the Colorado Avalanche had pulled their goalie in half of their late one-goal deficits with 2:19 left in the 3rd period, and in 90% with 2:00 or more left (23 games trailing by one in the last 10 minutes).
How many empty-net goals have the Avalanche allowed?
With their goalie pulled in 2025-26, the Colorado Avalanche scored 6 and allowed 13 empty-net goals in 36:06 of 6-on-5 time. Defending an empty net, they scored 23 empty-net goals and allowed 2 goals to the extra attacker.
How is goalie pull time measured?
From the NHL shift charts: the first moment in a deficit when the team had no goalie on the ice, excluding delayed penalties. The curve counts every late deficit, including ones erased before a pull, so it is not biased toward long deficits.