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Slow start dooms shorthanded Avalanche in loss to Lightning

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Slow start dooms shorthanded Avalanche in loss to Lightning


For 54 minutes Wednesday night, the severely shorthanded Colorado Avalanche played about as well as expected, considering the circumstances.

That, however, came after the first six minutes went about as poorly as someone could imagine. The big guns on the Tampa Bay Lightning had a huge night, and the Avs’ pushback was met by one of the best goalies in the world in a 5-2 loss at Ball Arena.

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel combined for three goals and seven points for the Lightning. After allowing three goals on the first five shots, new Colorado goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen did find his way and finished with 16 saves.

“Against teams like that with that high-end skill, you expect them to make those plays, but it’s still not easy to make the saves on those plays,” Kahkonen said. “Especially early like that. But it’s … what are you going to do? You just play. You try to stop the next puck and you try to get into a rhythm.”

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The Avs have been without Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder), Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) and Gabe Landeskog (knee) all season and Jonathan Drouin (upper body) joined them after getting hurt in the opener against Vegas. The situation got worse for Colorado before this game.

Ross Colton is out 6-to-8 weeks with a broken foot after blocking a shot Monday night against Chicago, Avs coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday morning. Miles Wood is also out for 7-to-10 days with an upper-body injury that he’s been trying to play through.

“Our (missing) payroll is outrageous,” Nathan MacKinnon said. It’s not excuses. It’s just facts. I do like how we’re playing overall. When guys come back, I feel like if just keep with this, we’ll have better results, but that’s not the point right now.”

While there were some positives to build from for a team missing six of its top-10 forwards, the Avs were down 3-0 before the first TV timeout.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper gets an assist on each of the first two Lightning goals. Both times, the play began with his third line against Colorado’s makeshift third line, which included defenseman Oliver Kylington.

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The Lightning gained control of the puck and made an on-the-fly change to its top line, and then quickly scored in similar fashion. Point took the puck behind the Colorado net and found Kucherov wide open in the slot for a one-timer 61 seconds in.

Kucherov collected the puck behind his own net at the start of his next shift and went coast-to-coast. He went behind the net like Point did, but sent a reverse pass back to where he came from. Guentzel was waiting near the right post for an easy one at 3:36 for a 2-0 lead.

“It’s awareness mistakes,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Young players just not reading it quick enough and not getting in quite the right spots.

“Overall, I thought we were engaged in the game. We played pretty hard, played pretty well. Definitely had a better second than the first, and the third was pretty good again. It didn’t come easy for us on the offensive side of it, either.”

Sam Malinski fell near the offensive blue line and tried to swipe at the puck, but the end result was a 3-on-1 the other way and a highlight-reel goal for Tampa Bay. Conor Geekie started the passing play and then finished it at 5:32 of the first after all three forwards touched the puck in quick succession.

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The Avs did settle into the game after the opening flurry. Ivan Ivan scored his second career goal to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 3-1 at at 14:56 of the first.

Ivan tipped a point shot from Cale Makar past Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy from the high slot. He has been the replacement for Ross Colton in that spot, and both of his goals have come with PP1.

Colorado’s first six minutes of the second period went very well, except the Avs couldn’t beat Vasilevskiy. Then, with a jumbled Avs line on the ice after a Colorado power play ended, Tampa Bay’s big guns feasted again.

Point got by Josh Manson in the neutral zone, which led to a 2-on-1. The first shot from Point hit the left post, but caromed right to Guentzel for a tap-in and a 4-1 lead at 6:28 of the second.

Matt Stienburg drew a penalty with a big hit early in the second, but he drew an early end to his night later in the period. He launched himself into Tampa Bay defenseman Erik Cernak and was assessed a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct.

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While the Avs did threaten, including a Makar goal midway through the third period, Vasilevskiy also made sure there would be no miracle comeback.

“We had a big meeting today and (Bednar) wanted a good process,” MacKinnon said. “We did that, but it would be nice to have some shooting luck eventually. I think we were pretty cold (tonight).”

FOOTNOTES: Bednar said the Avs are shooting for Lehkonen to make his season debut Tuesday against Seattle. He also said Drouin has taken some controlled contact, but is still sore and remains day-to-day with an unclearl timeline for a return.

Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.

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Colorado weather: Record heat returns to Denver, northern part of state

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Colorado weather: Record heat returns to Denver, northern part of state


Two more days of record-breaking heat are forecast for northern Colorado this week, including in the Denver area, according to the National Weather Service.

Earlier forecasts from the weather service projected 90-degree temperatures in Denver on Wednesday, which would have marked the city’s first of the year and earliest on record. The expected temperature high has since dropped to 88 degrees, which would still break daily and monthly heat records, according to the weather service.

NWS Tuesday forecasts:

  • 64 degrees in Dillion, breaking the 63-degree record for March 24.
  • 75 degrees in Evergreen, breaking the 71-degree daily record.
  • 81 degrees in Denver, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
  • 83 degrees at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
  • 83 degrees in Boulder, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
  • 84 degrees at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, breaking the 80-degree daily record.

NWS Wednesday forecasts:

  • 69 degrees in Dillion, breaking the 62-degree record for March 24.
  • 80 degrees in Evergreen, breaking the 75-degree daily record.
  • 88 degrees in Denver, breaking the 75-degree daily record and the 86-degree March heat record. Denver has broken or tied the March heat record three times so far this month, according to the weather service.
  • 89 degrees at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, breaking the 76-degree daily record.
  • 87 degrees in Boulder, breaking the 78-degree daily record.
  • 89 degrees at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, breaking the 79-degree daily record.



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Married couple stars on stage at Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors”

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Married couple stars on stage at Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors”


The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating more than 100 performances of its hit comedy “Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors.” The show, which puts a funny twist on the classic tale of Dracula, is filled with comedy and romance, and that romance can be seen both onstage and off.

“It is a great date night. It is fast, it is fun,” said Marco Alberto Robinson, the actor who portrays Dracula on stage.

Adriane and Marco Robinson

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“People leave with a smile on their face, it is a good time,” said Adriane Leigh Robinson, an actress who plays multiple characters during the show.

The duo not only finds romance on stage in the production, but off stage, they are already in love.

“We are just best buddies,” Marco Robinson said.

“We are married,” Adriane Robinson said as she laughed.

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The duo has lived in Denver for years and has enjoyed helping bring Dracula to life at the Garner Galleria.

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“Dracula is a cult classic about a blood thirsty monster. But this is different, because he is not only blood thirsty, he is spicy,” Adriane Robinson said.

The other cast members of the production told CBS News Colorado they are confident both Robinsons are capable of starring on Broadway in New York. However, both said they have found a purpose and belonging in Denver and at the DCPA.

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“We have found a super tight and loving community that we don’t ever want to leave,” Adriane Robinson said.

Both have been in many productions at the DCPA, but added Dracula has given them an opportunity to explore a side of their relationship that they’ve never had before.

“It’s the easiest (to be romantic interests on and off stage),” Adriane Robinson said.

“It is super easy. We can come up with something at home and bring it in. It is nice to not be passing ships,” Marco Robinson said.

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Both said they have an appreciation for the surrounding arts community in Colorado, and have loved being on the same funny production in Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors.

“We are putting roots down here, and regional theatre is super important. And, the Denver Center is doing some of the best of it,” Marco Robinson said.

Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors, plays at the DCPA through May 10. For more information on tickets, visit their website.

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Traffic, parking and transportation at Burnham Yard are focal points around Denver Broncos stadium plans

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Traffic, parking and transportation at Burnham Yard are focal points around Denver Broncos stadium plans


As the Denver Broncos design a new stadium for Burnham Yard, one of the most critical elements — with some of the highest potential for backlash from neighbors and the team’s fans — will be the plan for getting people to and from the site.

Questions about parking, traffic management, transit access and accessibility have emerged as major concerns for neighbors of the future stadium during early community meetings in west Denver organized by the city and the team.

“It is probably the No. 1 topic that we’re hearing,” said Troy Halouska, the vice president of the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association.

Lindsey Noble, a resident of the neighborhood, said in an interview with The Denver Post that she and her neighbors were “pretty concerned about traffic and parking” from the events the new stadium would host — which the team has said would go well beyond Broncos home games.

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“They (the Broncos) are creating these problems, and some of the solutions I have heard have to do with altering our neighborhood or changing streets,” she said. “These aren’t things we want.”

The Broncos are still early in the process of laying out plans for the abandoned rail yard as the team aims to build a stadium by 2031. The team has already released some transportation-related details, including proposed changes to street crossings with the Regional Transportation District’s light rail tracks, potential parking options for events, and plans for connections to existing pedestrian and bike infrastructure.

The team plans to build more than just a stadium, though. Alongside their home field, the Broncos want to create a mixed-use entertainment district that uses the space year-round. Like other modern stadiums, it would have restaurants, open space and, potentially, hotels or apartments outside the venue.

Burnham Yard can be seen through the windows of an RTD light rail train as a passenger sits in their seat on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

Officials with the Broncos say they have heard the worries from nearby residents about the massive development’s potential impact on their neighborhoods. They say they’re looking for ways to integrate the site into the community — without flooding nearby streets with thousands of cars and people.

Generally, the team plans to address those concerns by designing the site in such a way that eventgoers are guided in through the north and south ends of the site, rather than being routed through the mostly residential neighborhood to the east.

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The site itself, once the rail yard is cleared, will be nestled between two rail corridors — freight lines to the west and RTD’s light rail tracks to the east. Entities connected to the Broncos have been buying up properties beyond the banana-shaped rail yard for the stadium and surrounding district.

A passenger crosses the tracks at the RTD 10th/Osage Rail Station with the north end of Burnham Yard visible in the background on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
A passenger crosses the tracks at the RTD 10th/Osage Station with the north end of Burnham Yard visible in the background on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

A bit farther to the west of the site is Interstate 25, and the north and south boundaries are generally West 13th Avenue and West Sixth Avenue. An early conceptual plan the team submitted to the city shows how its designers plan to connect local streets through the site. One new street would connect West Eighth Avenue to Osage Street, for instance, incorporating city plans to lower part of Eighth’s current viaduct.

Josh Brooks, a principal at Sasaki, the architecture firm designing the site’s master plan, said during a community meeting in February that the team plans to design the area so that noise and visual impacts are pushed as far from the residential neighborhood as possible.

“Our intention is to ensure this is an integrated community, a mixed-use development that really serves as an extension of the city and becomes part of the shared memory of the community,” Brooks said.

One of the things that most attracted the team to Burnham Yard was its connectivity with other areas. Located near I-25, Sixth and Eighth avenues, an RTD station, walking paths and planned bike lanes, the site won’t need massive changes to help bring in visitors.

But that doesn’t mean the team won’t have plenty of work to do on that front.

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DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 12: The large crowd gathers in a gymnasium for a community meeting hosted by the Denver Broncos at La Alma Recreation Center to share preliminary concepts for the proposed new stadium and mixed-use community at Burnham Yard Denver on February 12, 2026. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
A large crowd gathers in a gymnasium for a community meeting hosted by the Denver Broncos at the La Alma Recreation Center to share preliminary concepts for the proposed new stadium and mixed-use community at Burnham Yard in Denver on Feb. 12, 2026. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)

During the February community information meeting at the La Alma Recreation Center, the Broncos conducted a quick survey of attendees to ask what their top concerns were. The most-selected item was “traffic congestion during games/events,” followed closely by “impacts to housing expenses.”

The design for the site will focus on connecting existing roads and pedestrian paths and easing those neighborhood concerns, Brooks said.

The Broncos will work with the city in the coming months to develop a small-area plan, which will set out the design for the expanse surrounding the stadium site. While the stadium itself will be privately financed, the team has said, the city and state could be on the hook for infrastructure improvements nearby.

The city already plans to pay for improvements to two major road connections, the nearby Sixth and Eighth avenue viaducts, as part of bond projects passed by voters last fall.

Train crossings and transit access

One advantage of the Burnham Yard site is that it already has an RTD rail station next to it, making transit access easier. But the 10th and Osage station is accessible only from the east, with Burnham Yard west of the tracks. So it would need to be reconstructed to allow pedestrian access from both directions.

Working together with RTD, the Broncos are proposing changes to several light rail crossings. At 13th Avenue, the team has suggested a bridge for trains to pass over the street, with a place for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to cross beneath.

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EVERYDAY ACCESS: A map included in the Denver Broncos' large development review pre-application filed with Denver's planning department in November 2025 shows a conceptual plan for transportation access to the Burnham Yard stadium neighborhood. Orange lines identify planned vehicle routes. Dotted orange lines are shared streets and dashed blue lines show existing freight and light rail lines. (Courtesy Denver Department of Community Planning and Development)
EVERYDAY ACCESS: A map included in the Denver Broncos’ large development review pre-application filed with Denver’s planning department in November 2025 shows a conceptual plan for transportation access to the Burnham Yard stadium neighborhood. Orange lines identify planned vehicle routes. Dotted orange lines are shared streets and dashed blue lines show existing freight and light rail lines. (Courtesy Denver Department of Community Planning and Development)

At 12th and 9th avenues, team officials are proposing a separated-grade crossing for cyclists and pedestrians to also pass underneath the light rail tracks.

Eleventh, 10th and 8th avenues would have at-grade crossings. Halouska, with the La Alma Lincoln Park Association, said residents would like as few at-grade crossings as possible to prevent collisions or other safety hazards.

Besides concerns about transit crossings, Noble expressed worry that there also might not be enough light rail cars on a game day to transfer everyone who arrives and departs that way.

A spokesperson for RTD said there was no one available to discuss the transit agency’s plans for the area.

“RTD is regularly meeting with the project team and other partners to provide feedback and ask questions about their proposed stadium plans. Specific information about any proposed changes to RTD’s services or operations is not yet available,” RTD’s Pauline Haberman said.

What about parking?

Other concerns about the plan center on where those who drive to the stadium will park.

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Halouska said even when his group tries to host meetings about other topics, parking is the concern its leaders hear about the most from the neighborhood.

“The Broncos have said themselves they really want this area to be activated 300 days a year, and so folks in the neighborhood are very concerned about what kind of impact that will have on parking,” he said. “We really need more details from the team and the city.”

A map included in the Denver Broncos' large development review pre-application with Denver's planning department in November 2025 shows a conceptual plan for handling game and event day access to a new stadium in Burnham Yard. Streets with solid blue lines would be the primary access routes, while dashed blue lines are for limited access routes. Streets with red lines would be closed around events. Potential parking is shaded yellow. (Courtesy Denver Department of Community Planning and Development)
EVENT DAYS: A map included in the Denver Broncos’ large development review pre-application filed with Denver’s planning department in November 2025 shows a conceptual plan for handling game and event day access to a new stadium in Burnham Yard. Streets with solid blue lines would be the primary access routes, while dashed blue lines are for limited access routes. Streets with red lines would be closed around events. Potential parking is shaded yellow. (Courtesy Denver Department of Community Planning and Development)

Team officials have said they plan to provide the same amount of parking at the new site as Empower Field has — which is roughly 7,000 spots. But instead of a stadium surrounded by surface parking, officials are proposing making use of parking structures and shared parking systems.

Noble said the on-site parking spots could make a big difference in the impact to the neighborhood.

The city could also add resident-only parking permit rules for the surrounding streets, much like a longstanding system in the Jefferson Park neighborhood around Empower Field.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said the same system is possible for Burnham Yard, but it’s too early to know specifics of how it would work.

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“We won’t begin designing anything until we understand how the site will work, where impacts could occur, and there’s a focused conversation on (residential parking permits),” Nancy Kuhn wrote in an email.

Halouska said that could help, but only if the parking permits are regularly enforced.

“Having the permits is a fine idea — though it does cost money to get a permit — but if it’s not enforced, then it’s kind of pointless,” Halouska said.

Bike and pedestrian access

It won’t just be public transportation and cars getting people to events or the new development. The Broncos also plan to build connections to surrounding bike and pedestrian infrastructure, like the South Platte River Trail and the bike lane along 13th Avenue, Brooks said.



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