Scott Wedgewood makes 32 saves and Avalanche beat Mammoth 1-0 for 6th straight win

DENVER (AP) — Scott Wedgewood made 32 saves for his second shutout of the season, and the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche beat the Utah Mammoth 1-0 on Tuesday night.

Wedgewood's 10th career shutout helped extend Colorado's home winning streak to 13 games. The Avalanche have won six in a row overall and eight of nine heading into the holiday break.

Colorado’s 61 points are the second most in the NHL after 36 games behind the 1929-30 Boston Bruins, who had 63 points at that stage.

Samuel Girard scored the lone goal for the Avalanche (27-2-7), who remain unbeaten in regulation at home (15-0-2). They have not lost on home ice since Carolina’s 5-4 shootout win on Oct. 23.

Vitek Vanecek stopped 25 shots for Utah, which had won two of three.

The Mammoth’s No. 1 goaltender, Karel Vejmelka, was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Utah signed Colten McIntyre to an amateur-tryout agreement to serve as Vanecek’s backup for the night.

Vanecek had a strong performance against the NHL's top-scoring team. The Avalanche averaged 4.6 goals in the five games heading into Tuesday night.

Girard stole the puck from Clayton Keller in the neutral zone, skated in ahead of Keller and beat Vanecek with a backhander at 7:57 of the second period.

Wedgewood kept the Mammoth off the scoreboard with big saves in the second period. He made a blocker save on Daniil But, stopped Dylan Guenther on a breakaway late in the frame and 30 seconds later made a glove save on Keller that stood after a review.

Utah turned up the pressure in the third period and pulled Vanecek for an extra skater with 2:03 left but couldn't get the equalizer.

Mammoth: Off until Monday night, when they host Nashville.

Avalanche: At Vegas on Saturday night.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal against the Utah Mammoth in the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche center Jack Drury, left, battles for control of the puck with Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, right, drives past Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi in the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood, front, deflects a shot as Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse looks on in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood, right, stops a shot by Utah Mammoth left wing Daniil But in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

This is not exactly what the NFL and Netflix had in mind when they thought they would be getting big-name quarterbacks Jayden Daniels vs. Dak Prescott and a high-stakes matchup of NFC East rivals Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys in the Christmas Day spotlight.

As things stand now, it is hard to imagine many folks eagerly anticipating a meeting Thursday between bad teams that will miss the playoffs — and with Daniels, who has been shut down for the season after a series of injuries limited him to just seven appearances, doing no more than appearing on the sideline in street clothes.

“When you do circle those matchups, that’s exactly what you’re thinking: This is going to be cool. How it’s all laid out — division games right here at the end between two games of Philadelphia with a Dallas game in between,” said Washington coach Dan Quinn, whose team dropped to 4-11 by losing to the Eagles last Saturday and will close against that same club in Week 18.

“Playing these division games, they still mean a lot. They mean a lot to the players, the coaches and the fans,” Quinn said, perhaps trying to persuade himself and his locker room as much as anyone. “And so that part is still good, but not to the level that you wanted it to be.”

Or anyone would, really.

As Quinn put it: “You never want a season like this.”

The Cowboys haven't been as terrible as the Commanders, who have dropped nine of their past 10 games and were eliminated weeks ago. But a 6-8-1 record under first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer after trading elite pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay means Dallas is out of the postseason for the second year in a row.

Owner Jerry Jones called that outcome “disappointing.”

“We all underachieved, really,” Jones said.

The Cowboys have a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season for the second time in franchise history. The other was in 2019, when Dallas also missed the playoffs.

Prescott just secured his fourth 4,000-yard season, which ties Tony Romo’s club record. Javonte Williams has the first 1,000-yard season of his five-year career in his Dallas debut after an injury-plagued stint in Denver. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens have been a dynamic pairing all season. Pickens has a shot at 1,500 yards receiving in his first 1,000-yard season following the trade that brought him from Pittsburgh. Lamb will fall short of his All-Pro total of 1,749 yards two years ago, but has been mostly productive despite a sprained ankle that essentially cost him four games.

Six years ago, Dallas finished 8-8 despite great stats for Prescott (career-high 4,902 yards passing), Ezekiel Elliott (1,357 yards rushing) and Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup (each over 1,100 yards receiving).

The Cowboys moved left guard Tyler Smith to left tackle last week with backup Nate Thomas struggling as the fill-in for the injured Tyler Guyton. Schottenheimer said Smith would protect Prescott’s blind side the rest of the season.

Smith played left tackle as a rookie in 2022, when perennial Pro Bowler Tyron Smith was injured in training camp and missed most of the season. The Cowboys thought Tyler Smith could be more impactful at guard, but his talent might force a permanent move to the most important spot on the line.

“I’m gonna do what’s best for the team,” Tyler Smith said. “I’m a smart player. I understand who I am, where I am and, ultimately, what I’m getting paid to do.”

Both of these teams have been among the worst at stopping opponents all season, and the men who started 2025 as defensive coordinators — Matt Eberflus for Dallas, and Joe Whitt Jr. for Washington — could be looking for new jobs soon. Eberflus moved from the sideline up to the coaches' box last weekend, with no signs of that making a difference. Whitt shifted the opposite way, from the box to the sideline, in Week 10, then was stripped of play-calling duties by Quinn, who took over that responsibility in Week 11.

AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon in Frisco, Texas, contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) makes a touchdown catch past Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) prepares to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Injured Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels looks on before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)