Avs-Knights Revenge Tour, NBA Reset & The Broncos Schedule Screwjob | Ep. 275

The coolers are filled. The towels are heated. The playoffs have hit conference final mode, and Episode 275 of The Far End of the Bench came in loaded.

The Avalanche are back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in four years. The NBA playoffs are down to the serious teams. Broncos Country is trying to figure out whether the schedule release was a football document or a punishment from the league office. And, because this is still The Far End of the Bench, Jimmy and Niko finished the show by handing out Player of the Week and Benchwarmer of the Week.

Translation: this was not a slow news week. This was a full-on sports buffet.

The Avalanche Finished the Wild — But It Wasn’t Clean

Let’s start where the emotion lives: Colorado Avalanche playoff hockey.

The Avs closed out the Minnesota Wild in five games, but Game 5 was not exactly a stress-free victory lap. Colorado came out flat, fell behind 3-0, and for a minute, it looked like everyone in Ball Arena was going to have to start mentally preparing for the nightmare phrase: “Game 6 in Minnesota.”

No, thank you.

But this team did what real playoff teams do. They found the gear. They tightened up. They stopped letting Minnesota dictate the terms. And once the Avalanche started leaning back into their identity, the Wild looked like the Wild again: dangerous enough to make it uncomfortable, not dangerous enough actually to finish the job.

Minnesota did not lose because it scored too early. They lost because they stopped playing after they scored. You do not apologize for jumping out to a 3-0 lead in a road playoff game. You bury the building, keep forechecking, and make Colorado feel every shift. Instead, Minnesota took its foot off the gas and let the Avalanche breathe.

That was the mistake.

And once Colorado got oxygen, the comeback started to feel inevitable.

Bednar’s Goalie Switch Was the Right Move

One of the biggest turning points of the episode discussion was Jared Bednar’s decision to go to Wedgewood.

That move mattered.

Not because Blackwood was the only problem. He wasn’t. The defense in front of him was rough. The Avs were giving up bad looks, losing structure, and playing like they thought the first period was optional. But when a team falls behind like that in a closeout game, sometimes the coach has to change the temperature in the room.

Bednar did that without making it a circus.

That is the difference between panic and leadership. He did not bury Blackwood. He did not turn it into a public execution. He just made the move the game needed. That is why players trust him. That is why the room responds. And that is why Colorado was able to turn a disaster start into a series-clinching finish.

Nathan MacKinnon Is in Man-on-a-Mission Mode

Nathan MacKinnon’s tying goal was ridiculous.

Not “nice shot,” ridiculous. Not “good playoff moment” ridiculous. We are talking about a puck finding an inch of daylight over the goalie’s mask and somehow ending up exactly where it needed to go.

That was not luck. That was one of the best players in the world deciding the game was not going back to Minnesota.

MacKinnon has that look right now. The same look that says every shift is personal, every loose puck is his, and every defenseman in front of him is simply a traffic cone with better health insurance. There are a lot of stars left in these playoffs, but there are not many players more terrifying with the puck on their stick than MacKinnon right now.

The Avalanche does not just have a superstar.

They have a closer.

Colorado’s Depth Is Starting to Look Like 2022 Again

The part that should scare the rest of the NHL is this: Colorado is not just surviving because of its stars.

The depth is showing up.

Brett Kulak has been reliable, steady, and timely. Brent Burns is creating offense from the blue line even without scoring himself. Parker Kelly, Jack Drury, and the fourth-line energy have been exactly what playoff teams need when momentum starts slipping. Nicholas Roy has become the kind of addition that feels like walking into a store for one thing and accidentally finding the appliance that changes your entire kitchen.

That is championship DNA.

In 2022, the Avalanche won because the stars were stars and the depth punched above its weight. This group is starting to give off that same smell. MacKinnon can be MacKinnon, but if the bottom six keep doing the dirty work and the defense keeps manufacturing offense, Colorado becomes a nightmare matchup.

Now Comes Vegas — and the Revenge Tour Gets Real

The Western Conference Finals matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights is not just another series.

This is revenge tour material.

Vegas is big. Vegas is physical. Vegas has guys who can turn a hockey game into a demolition derby. They have veteran playoff muscle, a cutthroat organizational identity, and a building that turns into a full-on hockey casino when the Knights are rolling.

But here is the problem for Vegas: they are not built to skate with Colorado for seven games.

They can hit. They can frustrate. They can muck up the neutral zone. They can drag games into the mud. But if the Avalanche force this series into a speed contest, Vegas is going to spend a lot of time chasing burgundy and blue sweaters.

Game 1 matters. Game 2 matters. Colorado cannot give Vegas early belief and then walk into that building hoping to calm things down later. The Knights feed off chaos. The Avs need to make the message clear immediately:

You are not the bully anymore.

The NBA Playoffs Needed a Reset

The NBA side of the episode was a reset button moment.

The second round gave us some blowouts, some disappointments, and a few teams that looked built for one matchup rather than a championship run. Minnesota became the clearest example. That team may be built to annoy the Denver Nuggets, but being Denver’s personal headache does not make you an NBA Finals team.

The conference finals feel different.

Oklahoma City has been rolling. San Antonio looks like a team built for something bigger than a cute playoff story. Cleveland and New York bring history, pressure, and fan bases starving for a Finals run. This is the stage where the frauds get exposed and the real teams separate.

No more “nice season” talk.

Now it is about who can win four games when everyone knows the scouting report.

Broncos Schedule Pain: Conspiracy or Reality Check?

Then came the Broncos schedule debate.

Is the NFL punishing Denver? Is the league office twisting the knife? Or is this just what happens when a team finally earns enough respect to get a serious schedule?

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, which is the worst place to be because it gives everyone room to yell.

Opening against Kansas City at Arrowhead sounds brutal. Nobody wants to start the season in a division fistfight on the road. But there is also a real argument that early Arrowhead is better than January Arrowhead. If you have to get the Chiefs, getting them before the machine is fully polished might not be the worst draw in the world.

Still, Broncos fans have every right to look at the schedule and ask one simple question:

What exactly did we do to deserve this?

The answer might be simple: Denver is relevant again.

And relevant teams do not get soft paths.

Weekly Awards: Kulak, SGA, Tortorella, and Cade

The episode closed with the weekly awards, and the graphics say it all.

Jimmy’s Player of the Week: Brett Kulak
Solid. Reliable. Impactful. Kulak is not the flashiest name on the Avalanche roster, but playoff hockey rewards the guys who do the job shift after shift. His game-winner and steady presence made him the perfect pick.

Jimmy’s Benchwarmer of the Week: John Tortorella
Questionable decisions. Frustrating results. The substitute teacher routine might work for a little while, but in a conference final against a team like Colorado, the worksheet approach can only take you so far.

Niko’s Player of the Week: SGA
Smooth. Clutch. Dominant. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the kind of playoff control that makes the game look slower for him than everyone else. That is star stuff.

Niko’s Benchwarmer of the Week: Cade Cunningham
Missed chances. Tough night. Cade is still a major talent, but the playoffs are harsh. When the lights get brighter, the criticism gets louder.

Final Word: The Revenge Tour Has Reached Its Real Test

Episode 275 was about transition.

The Avalanche is no longer just handling business. They are stepping into the heavyweight round. The NBA playoffs are no longer in “survive and advance” mode. They are in legacy mode. The league is no longer ignoring the Broncos. They are back in the conversation, even if that conversation includes a schedule that looks like someone with a grudge wrote it.

That is what makes this time of year great.

Everything gets louder. Every take gets sharper. Every win matters more.

And for the Avalanche, the message is simple:

The Wild are gone. Vegas is next. The revenge tour is officially live.