DENVER (AP) — Back in late October, the Colorado Avalanche fell to Carolina at home in a shootout.
They haven't lost in their own building since, reeling off 17 straight wins. The Avalanche are a home win away from matching the team record set by the 2021-22 Stanley Cup-winning squad.
Maybe it's the benefits of playing at elevation — a lung-searing 5,280 feet (1,609 meters) above sea level. Maybe it's the crowd noise. Or maybe, as defenseman Cale Makar believes, the secret behind their home success boils down to something more simple: "Not talking about it,” he said with a chuckle.
Colorado, 2-0 on its seven-game homestand, currently has the sixth-longest home win streak in NHL history. The record is 23 in a row by the 2011-12 Detroit Red Wings.
On top of all that, the Avalanche (19-0-2) have yet to lose at Ball Arena in regulation. Their 21-game home point streak is second in team history to the 2021-22 squad (22 games).
“It’s important that we’re a stingy team at home,” said Makar, whose team has a chance to tie the franchise mark Monday night against Toronto. "Teams have got to know when they come in here they’re going to get our best effort and it’s going to be a tough challenge for them.”
Playing at a higher elevation can be draining for an opponent. Especially a team coming in on the second night of a back-to-back like, say, Ottawa did last Thursday. The speedy Avalanche pushed the pace and raced to an 8-2 victory over the Senators.
Colorado can also grind it out, too. That's what the team did against Columbus on Saturday when its top line, led by Nathan MacKinnon, was kept off the scoresheet. Brent Burns, the 40-year-old defenseman who is chasing his first Stanley Cup title, stepped up with two goals. Also playing a big role was backup goaltender Trent Miner, who stopped 29 shots in the 4-0 win over the Blue Jackets. It was not only Miner's first NHL shutout but his inaugural win.
“It seems like they’re always fired up to play at home,” said Blue Jackets forward Charlie Coyle, who finished last season with Colorado after being acquired at the trade deadline. “You’re going to get their good game. It’s not going to be a back-and-forth or anything like that. They play well. They play consistent.”
The building is always loud, too. The Avalanche have sold out 174 straight home games, including the postseason.
“We’re comfortable here,” said defenseman Josh Manson, who had a Gordie Howe hat trick with two goals, two assists and a fight against Ottawa. "We can get the momentum behind us and when we get the momentum behind us, with the fans and such, it really helps. We can keep rolling.
“You can make whatever excuses you want about the altitude or whatever, but you add all the factors together, and I think it makes it a pretty tough place to come in to play.”
The Avalanche own the best record (33-4-7, 73 points) in the league and entered Sunday with a 12-point cushion on the next closest teams, which just so happen to be their Central Division rivals, Dallas and Minnesota.
Colorado is missing some key players, too, with captain Gabriel Landeskog (upper body), goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body), defenseman Devon Toews (upper body) and forward Joel Kiviranta (lower body) all sidelined. Logan O'Connor has yet to play this season as he makes his way back from offseason hip surgery.
“I’m proud of what our team has done to this point,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "But as a coach, you’re always kind of like, ‘OK, what’s next?’
“You've got to prove yourself every day in this league, right? It’s never about what you’ve done. I love the first half we've had, but that’s what it was — the first half. It doesn’t guarantee you anything tonight or in the second half or in the playoffs."
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, second from left, is congratulated after scoring a goal by, from left, defenseman Samuel Girard, and center Gavin Brindley as Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko passes byin the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, left, celebrates after scoring a goal with center Ross Colton in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, third from left, is congratulated after scoring by, from left to right, defenseman Josh Manson, center Martin Necas and center Nathan MacKinnon in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran surpassed 2,000 people on Tuesday, activists said, as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown on demonstrators.
The number of dead climbed to at least 2,003, as reported by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iranian state television offered the first official acknowledgment of the deaths, quoting an official saying the country had “a lot of martyrs” and that it did not release a toll earlier because of the dead suffering gruesome injuries. However, that statement came only after activists reported their toll.
The demonstrations began a little over two weeks ago in anger over Iran’s ailing economy and soon targeted the theocracy, particularly 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Images obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press from demonstrations in Tehran showed graffiti and chants calling for Khamenei's death — something that could carry a death sentence.
Soon after the new death toll became public, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!”
He added: “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.” Trump did not give details.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he had continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
But after Trump's message Tuesday, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani responded by writing: “We declare the names of the main killers of the people of Iran: 1- Trump 2-” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The activist group said 1,850 of the dead were protesters and 135 were government-affiliated. Nine children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 16,700 people have been detained, the group said.
With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The AP has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Skylar Thompson with the Human Rights Activists News Agency told AP the new toll was shocking, particularly since it reached four times the death toll of the monthslong 2022 Mahsa Amini protests in just two weeks.
She warned that the toll would still rise: “We’re horrified, but we still think the number is conservative."
Speaking by phone for the first time since their calls were cut off from the outside world, Iranian witnesses described a heavy security presence in central Tehran, burned-out government buildings, smashed ATMs and few passersby. Meanwhile, people were concerned about what comes next, including the possibility of a U.S. attack.
“My customers talk about Trump’s reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic,” said shopkeeper Mahmoud, who gave only his first name out of concern for his safety. “I don’t expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians.”
Reza, a taxi driver who also gave just his first name, said protests are on many people's minds. “People — particularly young ones — are hopeless, but they talk about continuing the protests,” he said.
Several people in Tehran were able to call the AP on Tuesday and speak to a journalist. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back. Witnesses said text messaging was still down, and internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally but nothing abroad.
Anti-riot police officers wore helmets and body armor while carrying batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers, according to the witnesses. Police stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, who carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces.
Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, witnesses said. Banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, they added.
Shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of Iran's rial currency, opened Tuesday. A witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media did not acknowledge that order.
The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
It also appeared that security service personnel were searching for Starlink terminals, as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in homes, and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.
On the streets, people also could be seen challenging plainclothes security officials, who were stopping passersby at random.
State television also read a statement about mortuary and morgue services being free — a signal that some likely charged high fees for the release of bodies amid the crackdown.
Khamenei, in a statement carried by state TV, praised the tens of thousands who took part in pro-government demonstrations nationwide on Monday.
“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on traitorous mercenaries,” he said. “The Iranian nation is strong and powerful and aware of the enemy.”
State TV on Monday aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands. They chanted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo)
A slogan is written on a wall reading in Farsi: "Death to dictator" in an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
A placard is placed on bricks which reads in Farsi: "Long live the Shah," referring to the Pahlavi dynasty which was toppled by 1979 Islamic Revolution, in an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo)
Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo)
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
FILE - Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)
