Colorado Avalanche play mind games on the Edmonton Oilers at practice

Today, the Colorado Avalanche will visit the Edmonton Oilers for a highly anticipated matchup between two of the top teams in the West. Ahead of this game however, the media has noticed the Colorado Avalanche had some abnormal scheduling. The Avalanche stayed behind in Vancouver after their game and did not travel to Edmonton as they normally would, instead they held a closed practice at the University of British Columbia.

It's very odd and out of routine for an NHL team to disrupt their travel schedule like this, and hold a private practice at a neutral site on the road. The team provided no explanation for why they didn't travel to Edmonton when they were expected to. Perhaps they were trying to hide some information or strategy from practice, or they simply didn't want to travel to Alberta early.

Also notable, Cale Makar was not a participant in practice, but instead observed in street clothes. Makar isn't expected to miss the game despite not practicing.


Tonight's game could serve as a real playoff preview for the later round of the playoffs if both teams live up to expectations. The elite talent of McDavid going up against MacKinnon will be appointment television.