News Avalanche Team Notes

[Colorado Avalanche]

Recap: Colorado bests the Bolts 3-2

After coming back home to Ball Arena for a game following a weekend back-to-back trip to Vegas and San Jose, the Colorado Avalanche took on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, and ultimately won by a final score of 3-2.

Let’s take a look at all the action from tonight!

First Period​

Tampa Bay would be the ones to ultimately start the scoring in this game, as Nikita Kuchurov got the Lightning on the board first. On this play, Kucherov would take the puck for a trip around the back ot the Colorado net, and just surprised Wedgewood by sneaking the puck right by the post.

We guarantee yelling KUUUUUUUCH will help keep you up for the game pic.twitter.com/ROIZDBRS2z

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) November 5, 2025

The Avs would be able to respond and get on the board themselves before the period ended though, as Victor Olofsson put the puck home on the power play, as he cleaned up on the doorstep of the Tampa Bay net.

Victor lights the lamp pic.twitter.com/i9t78t4RHz

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 5, 2025

Second Period​

Victor Olofsson scored his second goal of the night to put the Avalanche up 2-1, as Gabe Landeskog would find him in the slot, and set him up for a really high-quality chance right in front of the Ligtning net, and Olofsson would not miss.

Olofsson nets his second of the night pic.twitter.com/rBMdTSfwKc

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 5, 2025

Ross Colton would then score what woul be the game-winning goal in this game, as he put the Avs up 3-1, as Sam Malinski sprung him on a breakaway with a beautiful stretch pass.

That. Was. Rossome. pic.twitter.com/2YT6GM1Qty

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 5, 2025

Third Period​

Brayden Point would bring the Bolts within one in this period, as he put his skill on full display, and score off of a backhand shot that went over Scott Wedgewood’s shoulder, and bar-down into the back of the Colorado net.

21 puts us within one pic.twitter.com/JXXgBSCcdY

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) November 5, 2025

After that, Tampa Bay would have some quality looks, but they were unable to convert before the end of regulation. Once the Bolts pulled their goalie, the Avs put on a defensive clinic, as they all sold out and bought in to block shots and not let anything get to the front of the net, and they were able to close the game out from there for the 3-2 victory.

Takeaways​

After coming off of an OT loss against the San Jose Sharks, this was a pretty good win for the Avs, all things considered. That defensive clinic they put on at the end of the game when Tampa Bay had their goalie pulled was absolutely incredible to watch. Obviously the most ideal scenario is that you don’t get to that situation at all, but knowing that you have a team who can defend like that when their opponent decides to throw everything at the net should provide some level of confidence in their close-out abilities in games like this one.

Despite not scoring a goal tonight, Gabe Landeskog was incredibly noticable as well, and certainly had a massive impact on this game, starting from his fight in the first period, which sparked the Avs. It hasn’t exactly been a secret that the captain’s presense has been missed on the ice the past few years, and tonight showed how much of an impact he can truly have on games, even if he’s not on the score sheet.

CAPTAIN LANDESKOG CHUCKIN' KNUCKS pic.twitter.com/s2ZS4wW95o

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 5, 2025

Upcoming​

The Avs hit the road again, as they head up north to Canada for another weekend back-to-back, this time against the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. They’ll face off against the Oilers first on Saturday, November 8th. Puck drop will be at 8:00 p.m. MT.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...rage/59250/recap-colorado-bests-the-bolts-3-2

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Former Pio Aidan Thompson loved playing in hometown

We had a chance to catch up with former University of Denver forward Aidan Thompson last week after he visited Loveland. A lot has happened in the last year for the Fort Collins, Colorado, native. He has now moved on from his collegiate career to a professional career in the Chicago Blackhawks organization.

Thompson now plays for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. He joined the club after a disappointing end to the Pioneers’ season last year. Thompson played four regular season games and seven playoff games before the IceHogs were eliminated last year. In the playoffs, he notched his first pair of professional goals against the Milwaukee Admirals (NSH). But on October 25th, while visiting Loveland to play the Colorado Eagles, Thompson notched his first professional regular season goal. And he did it with family in the house.

“My house is probably 15 minutes away from that rink,” said Thompson. “So a lot of the family (were there), and then a bunch of family friends that are from the area as well. I could leave only however many tickets. But then also, I know people that go to every game anyway, so I know a bunch of people in the stands for sure.”

The hometown kid Aidan Thompson hits the back of the net to give Rockford the 2-0 lead. Eagles are starting to look sleepy #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @HockeyMtnHighCO pic.twitter.com/aw5uxq7Edg

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) October 26, 2025

The Colorado native had a unique experience returning home for a road game. Colorado was where he usually played his home games.

“It was cool,” Thompson said. “I felt like a tourist in the city that I grew up in. Staying in a hotel 10 minutes from my house. But it was great. The city was just as I remembered it. I think being able to play in that rink was super special. I watched the Eagles growing up there in the CHL and the different leagues. And then finally, now in the past couple of years there they’ve been in the AHL, which is great. So to just play there in that environment, just so close to home, was super special.”

Thompson’s approach for the upcoming season changed minimally, recognizing his AHL assignment. The University of Denver has a reputation for preparing its players for the next step, with several players in the NHL. Alumni include current Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor and Eagles’ defenseman Sean Behrens. Others include Troy Terry, Trevor Moore, Jason Zucker, Scott Mayfield, Devin Cooley, and Zeev Buium.

During the recent game against the Eagles, the game got heated. Former DU teammates Sean Behrens and Thompson went toe-to-toe in a passionate tilt. The pair confronted one another at center ice, discarding gloves, grappling. It would cause a roughing penalty for both of the former Pios.

“I think we just kind of got wrapped up a little bit earlier in a scrum,” Thompson said. “And then we got wrapped up again. There was nothing personal from him or me, just, I think, like I said earlier about how that stuff tends to happen in that competitive game. I think the same thing. They’re just competitive moments happening and little scrums and no big deal.”

Pios fans may have to go out and get themselves a Rockford IceHogs jersey; Thompson has been playing on their second line as of late. In eight games played, he has one goal and three assists. There is a big difference in the player compared to the one we saw last season. Thompson is smarter and faster. He is one step away from slipping that Blackhawks sweater over his head and stepping onto NHL ice for the first time.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/du-p...-pio-aidan-thompson-loved-playing-in-hometown

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m.)

After a quick back-to-back on Halloween Weekend, the Colorado Avalanche are back home tonight to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. This past back-to-back, the Avs secured a total of three out of four points, winning against the Vegas Golden Knights and losing in overtime against the San Jose Sharks. This will be the first of two regular-season matchups between these two teams. Will the Avalanche secure another regulation win, or will Tampa steal one in Denver?

Colorado Avalanche: 7-1-5​

The Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4-2

Time: 7:30 p.m. MT

Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, TNT, truTV, HBOMax

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

As previously mentioned, Colorado plays in Denver tonight after coming home from a little road trip out west, of sorts. They earned a total of three out of four points on that back-to-back, which isn’t bad at all. The Avs also got some reinforcements, as Mackenzie Blackwood played his first game of the season for Colorado against the San Jose Sharks after coming off an injury. We should see Blackwood again tonight as it’s important to get Blackwood back up to speed.

For all your viewing needs pic.twitter.com/pv9JlaHavp

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 4, 2025

We also saw young Taylor Makar join his brother with the Avalanche against the San Jose Sharks, but the Avalanche reassigned him on Sunday and have since called up Jack Ahcan and Tristen Nielsen. Nielsen just inked a new deal with the Avalanche, so it will be good to see him get some NHL action so quickly. The Taylor Makar game felt more like a birthday present to Cale than an honest look at the kid. It’s all just tinkering until LOC and Sam Girard return, which is looking like sometime this month.

We have reassigned Taylor Makar to the Colorado Eagles. pic.twitter.com/juhIWERJDj

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 2, 2025

Projected Lineup​

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Ross Colton — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Gabriel Landeskog — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson
Tristen Nielsen — Zakhar Bardakov — Parker Kelly

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Ilya Solovyov — Sam Malinski

Note: I am assuming that Nielsen will slot in, but I’m not sure if Solovyov could still get the nod, given that Achan also got the call-up.

Tampa Bay Lightning​

The Lightning are a bit of an anomaly, as they haven’t received the stellar goaltending they are accustomed to from Andrei Vasilevskiy, on top of lacking the scoring touch. They are 26th in the league in terms of goals for, and Vasilevskiy sits at an .899 SV%, which is well below his career .916 SV%. Let’s see if the Avalanche can solve Andrei early and get things rolling in the right direction.

As usual, keep an eye on tonight’s top line matchups with Hagel, Point & Kucherov vs. Lehkonen, MacKinnon and Necas. Kucherov and MacKinnon are perennial MVP runners, and although they may have different approaches, they are both plenty successful.

Grab an extra cup of coffee on your way home ️

https://t.co/ZLNoAsrWMp pic.twitter.com/p02gjHNjYV

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) November 4, 2025

Projected Lineup​

Brandon Hagel — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel — Anthony Cirelli — Curtis Douglas
Oliver Bjorkstrand — Dominic James — Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgensons — Yanni Gourde — Pontus Holmberg

Victor Hedman — J.J. Moser
Ryan McDonagh — Erik Cernak
Charle-Edouard D’Astous — Emil Lilleberg

Follow along in the comments below!

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/open...rado-avalanche-vs-tampa-bay-lightning-730-p-m

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

MHH Roundtable: Early Surprises and Disappointments

With the first 14 games of the 2025-26 season schedule already in the books, now is the time we look at and evaluate how the Colorado Avalanche have fared this season thus far.

First, thoughts on Martin Necas’ $92 million contract extension?

Matthew: Let’s address the elephant in the room on this first. Martin Nečas and Mikko Rantanen will never escape comparison to each other. Whether it’s individual accolades, team accomplishments, overall on-ice performance, and now, contract comparisons, both players will never be able to escape that type of scrutiny. In some ways, those comparisons almost seem a bit unfair, as Rantanen firmly established himself as a top-flight right wing in the League, and also had top-flight talent surrounding him. Nečas, on the other hand, has yet to reach those heights, but didn’t have the supporting cast with Carolina that Rantanen benefited from in Colorado. Rantanen cashed in on that established pedigree in addition to his soon-to-be UFA status (after three tries), and deserved every single dime of his new contract. Nečas has been handed the opportunity by Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland to take his game to another level. While time will tell if this investment by the Avalanche front office will pay off for the duration of contract, Nečas has certainly turned in an impressive performance thus far: he ranks second in goals scored (9) and total points (18). Only Nathan MacKinnon has more in both categories. If Nečas can average a point per game pace throughout this year, his contract will immediately feel like a bargain. If Nečas can produce with a consistency similar to that of Rantanen’s final years with Colorado, the contract will feel less like a bargain and more like an absolute steal. Should be fun to watch!

Jackie: Make no mistake, the Avalanche caved and it was the right call. There wasn’t much negotiation but when Colorado said the magic number, common ground was finally reached. A market value deal keeping Nečas from testing the market in unrestricted free agency wasn’t getting any cheaper by the minute and the front office saw writing on the wall. It was reported by The Athletic that Colorado upped their offer to Nečas from $10.5 million per year to $11.5 million per after Utah’s Logan Cooley signed his eight-year deal worth $10 million per year. The two are not direct comparables but when a player signs for that kind of money out of his Entry Level deal the Avalanche weren’t going to get something done in the same universe with a pending UFA. Colorado had no means of replacing Nečas so getting him locked up was the right move even if it took longer and ended up costing more than they expected.

Jess: All parties involved actually communicated and got something done, and I could not be happier. It’s a lot of money still, no doubt, but like Jackie alluded to, once Logan Cooley inked his extension, it felt like Colorado had to get something done before the AAV ask got to a place that they were wildly uncomfortable with, which they did. Obviously, this deal was done with Makar in mind, as he’s due for an extension starting this upcoming summer; there’s no way it doesn’t get done at that number without thinking about him. Knowing where the cap is going, it seems like these $10 million or $11 million AAVs are going to become the new $8 million, so while it’s a lot of money now, it likely won’t feel like that in a few months. Overall, I’m happy with the extension, and I’m excited to have him stick around in Colorado long-term.

What has been the biggest surprise of the season so far?

Jackie: With the lineup staying consistent for the most part really now it feels the schedule is the biggest adjustment the team has dealt with experiencing so many matinee games and weekend back-to-backs. We haven’t really entered the compressed months so it’s been mostly daytime hockey, which is a shock to the system. The schedule oddities will also continue through the next couple of months, too,

Matthew: The biggest surprise in my eyes has been the play of Scott Wedgewood between the pipes. Being asked to step into the starter’s role while Mackenzie Blackwood recovers from injury seemed like a tall order on the eve of the season. He’s done more than been a serviceable fill-in: he currently ranks first in games played (12), wins (8), and has turned in a .929 sv % and a 2.49 GAA. While it’s easy to dismiss these stats as victories over weaker opponents across the League, it’s important to remember that Alexandar Georgiev’s performance in the early going last year cost the Avalanche valuable points in the Central Division. Wedgewood’s early season performance has all but assured that these early victories can only be a benefit when the postseason picture begins to take shape. Wedgewood’s impressive run has given the Avs some much-needed confidence in its goaltending that it was so desperate to have only one year ago.

Jess: For me, Victor Olofsson has been a very pleasant surprise through the season so far. While his goal-scoring certainly took a bit to get going, he can’t seem to stop scoring now, after scoring a hat trick against the New Jersey Devils and putting up another two-goal night the other night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s picked up a fair amount of assists as well, and looking at his season stats in total, he’s sneakily gotten 12 points in 14 games so far this season. To quote one of my coworkers at my student job when we were talking about Olofsson, “not bad at all for a $1 million, not bad at all”.

What has been the biggest disappointment?

Matthew: The power play. In their only postseason press conference, both Chris MacFarland and Joe Sakic pointed to the Avs power play as a major flaw in their first round exit against Dallas. They dismissed longtime assistant head coach Ray Bennett, and installed former Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol as his successor. While there has been some different looks in the power play scheme to start the season, the end result has been an even worse outcome than what the power play showed under Bennett. Currently, the Avalanche power play is ranked 22nd (17.0%) in the League. If not for the five power play goals the Avs scored across their second game against the New Jersey Devils and their most recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they would be a lot closer to the League basement than this ranking. Seeing this power play unit underachieve even more than it had previously is a major disappointment, especially after how pointed Sakic and MacFarland were in their comments to address it during the offseason.

Jess: Oh, the power play, no doubt. I know they’ve kind of figured it out as of late and have scored on it quite a few times, but for a stretch there, the power play was very hard to watch. They still seem to get extremely pass-happy at times and want to be unselfish with the puck and snap it around the zone, which is fine, especially when it works, as they’re a good passing team. But at the same time, to use one of my favorite lines from Ted Lasso: be a prick. It’s perfectly ok to shoot the puck when you have it instead of being unselfish and passing it on the power play. In fact, I’d argue that that’s exactly what you should be doing, put everything towards the net, and see what goes. Not every power play goal is going to look pretty after you snap the puck around a million times, and they don’t all need to look pretty. After all, they don’t ask how, they just ask how many.

Jackie: The power play deserves criticism but we know it will find its way bounce back to some degree of success. I anticipated that the Avalanche wouldn’t quite get what they expected in the role they were putting Brock Nelson in but early returns have been even worse than I imagined. Nelson just recorded his second assist on the year against the Lightning, his first since opening night and his first all year at even strength — both were also secondary assists. That’s not exactly what you are paying your second line center $7.5 million for. He at least has a good enough goal scoring aptitude to provide a few individual effort tallies and he has with three goals on the board but five points in 14 games isn’t going to cut it. With Colorado’s analytics off the charts early everyone looks good analytically but Nelson still lags as one of the lowest ranked forwards on this squad in that department, too. I wish Bednar would ease back Nelson’s work load and maybe elevate the responsibility of Jack Drury, who also has crafted five points on the year.

Which upcoming game or matchup are you looking forward to the most?

Jackie: Is it crazy to say I’m actually curious to see how the game versus the Chicago Blackhawks goes in a couple weeks? The Avs seem to drop a strange game against them every year and with Chicago being more competitive this season thus far I’m interested to see how the match between the two teams looks this time around. Also, a meeting with old friend Andre Burakovsky is always a treat. It’s fun to get a look at young teams with strong starts such as are the Anaheim Ducks actually good? We’ll find out next week.

Matthew: I am curious to see how the remainder of their season series against the Utah Mammoth will play out. With both teams currently splitting the season series to this point, and with Utah enjoying some early season success, I will be interested to see if the changes that Utah has made to their roster will keep them in contention for a playoff spot. As someone who followed the former Arizona Coyotes through their time in the desert, I’m not entirely convinced that this strong start will sustain itself through the new year. However, if there is a surprise to come out of the West for a wild card spot, Utah can certainly make a case should they remain healthy and its roster can create some separation from the other teams aspiring to get their foot in the door to the postseason.

Jess: I’ll go with their matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, for no other reason than I’ve seen some of Evan Bouchard’s lowlights from this season so far, and I need to watch a full game of Oilers hockey to watch them for myself, as I cannot believe that he’s truly made some of the errors I’ve seen so far. On a more serious note, though, I’m always excited to see how those two teams match up against one another, as they always seem to go blow-for-blow on the scoresheet, and those games very quickly turn into some very entertaining hockey games.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/mhh-...oundtable-early-surprises-and-disappointments

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Dissecting the Avalanche power play

One of the greatest concerns and topic of discussion on this young Colorado Avalanche season despite their sparkling record of 8-1-5 is the power play. With the disappointing results in the 2025 playoffs and subsequent letting go of assistant coach Ray Bennett, it’s natural that there would be even more focus on how the new-look unit would fare once the 2025-26 season began. Early returns haven’t been great with a 17% output thus far but is there more to the story?

First, let’s look at the big picture. Over the past four seasons starting from 2021-2022 through last year (reflected in the above image from the top down), the power play has been remarkably consistent finishing each season within the 24% range. With that percentage, Colorado has ranked between 5th-8th in the league at the conclusion of each of those regular seasons. It is interesting to note Colorado received 45 fewer opportunities last season than the year prior and is reflected in the decline of power play time per game. Previously we discussed how the power play results have undermined the team in at least five of the last seven playoff defeats but the postseason is not our focus here, though shortcomings in the regular season always get magnified in a short seven-game playoff series.

With only 14 games into the 2025-26 season it’s fair to expect the Avalanche power play to rebound from their current 17% conversion rate and show results similar to what they’ve experienced the past four years and finish at least in the top 10 of the league. The recent four goal eruption in the game at Ball Arena against the New Jersey Devils served as a reminder of what the talent on this Avalanche team can do and helped boost their confidence moving forward.

There is one missing link, however, and that’s Mikko Rantanen and his propensity to convert from anywhere on that right side of the ice. He was statistically Colorado’s best power play sniper year over year and we can’t write off that his departure might permanently alter the maximum capacity for this Avalanche power play unit. Martin Nečas as a right shot hasn’t been a direct replacement in the system while the coaching staff has experimented with who is taking the one-timer from the right side. Brock Nelson didn’t work in that spot and the current thinking is Victor Olofsson might be able to provide a threat from the right circle with encouraging early results and has scored the squad’s last two power play goals.

As always, we can’t just focus on results, especially with a small sample size and the reality of a new assistant coach and personnel gelling within an unfamiliar system, without a peek at the process. It’s pretty clear looking at the numbers that the issue with the current Avalanche power play lies in a lack of creating danger and quality chances. Though the last four games have improved these figures, there’s still work to be done.

It doesn’t take deep analysis to notice an Expected Goals For per 60 (xGF/60) at 6.77 and High Danger Corsi For per 60 (HD/60) at 15.81 as far off of Colorado’s typical output and the primary culprit of their struggles. These measures are also ranked 31st and by far 32nd in the league, respectively. The Avalanche typically enjoy a high shooting percentage (SH%) which causes them to convert more goals per 60 (GF/60) than their expected per 60 (XGF/60). There’s fair expectation for them to improve on their current 11.25 shooting percentage especially as shot attempt generation (CF/60), unblocked shot attempts (FF/60), and shots on goal (SF/60) are all improved from last season, which seemed to rely on an especially elevated shooting percentage that year. Following in line with the depressed danger this year, however, is the lagging scoring chance (SCF/60) generation of 48.78 per 60 also sitting currently at 27th in the NHL.

Going even further, which Avalanche players are contributing the most and least to the power play? The power play relies on players shooting from distance, which is not considered high danger, and the Avalanche typically enjoy a higher shooting percentage on the unit due to their superstar talents. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are volume shooters on the man advantage and have done so this season. Makar especially has been shooting more this season with 33.75 shot attempts per 60 (iCF/60) compared to last season’s 29.10 and remarkably he has not scored a power play goal yet in 2025-26. Having shot just under 20% last season converting 12 goals on the power play, it’s fair to say the superstar defenseman is due for some upwards regression. MacKinnon is in line with his previous shot rates of around 25 shot attempts per 60 as well.

Where the high danger could be improved, though, is from those who typically lurk at the net-front. Both Val Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen haven’t been on the first unit the entire season and in turn haven’t contributed shots at their typical rates of around 15 shot attempts (iCF/60) and nine high danger shot attempts (iHDCF/60), instead lagging behind around four on the high danger type of shots. Nichuskin is shooting at least 12 attempts per 60 with Lehkonen at nine. The Avalanche are also just missing other net-front personnel as Ross Colton was a great contributor in this area when he was hot last year and even Nikolai Kovalenko who had great underlying numbers on the power play in his brief stint with the team. Of the other options used this season Brock Nelson just isn’t great at generating shots and Gabe Landeskog hasn’t been dangerous.

More tweaks are needed to get this special teams unit back to where the Avalanche want it to be. There’s some encouraging signs and we’ve seen more success lately particularly with Victor Olofsson. We can also expect the team’s highest volume power play shooter Cale Makar to find the back of the net soon. The coaching staff needs to work more to get off the perimeter and find the right net-front personnel to create more danger if they want to truly turn their results around enough to rely on their power play making a difference in a positive manner in the postseason.

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/avalanche-analysis/59160/dissecting-the-avalanche-power-play

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Preview: Avs Square Up Against Edmonton in a Saturday Night Showdown

Any night is a good night for hockey, but in the eyes of generations of hockey fans, Saturday nights are sacred.

If your team is scheduled to play on Saturday night, especially against a Canadian opponent, you drop everything.

Tonight, the Colorado Avalanche is that team, as they slot into the most coveted night of the weekly hockey schedule as they face the back-to-back Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers.

Colorado Avalanche (8-1-5)​

The Opponent: Edmonton Oilers (6-5-4)

Time: 8:00 P.M. MST/10:00 P.M. EST

Watch: ALT2, KTVD (Avalanche Broadcast Area), ESPN+, NHL Center Ice (Outside Avalanche Broadcast Area – US), CBC, SN+, TVAS+ (Canadian Broadcast Areas)

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche​

The Avalanche are coming into this weekend’s games fresh off a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena on Tuesday evening. More importantly, the Avs are coming into this set of weekend games with more rest than they’ve had lately, having only played twice in the last seven days. The extra down time should pay immediate dividends, as a rested Avs squad will be able to lean into one of their greatest assets—their speed—to make for a difficult assignment against the Oilers.

The power play remains a sore spot for the Avalanche, which is currently ranked 23rd in the League (17.0%). The power play has found some life of late, but consistency still remains elusive. The penalty kill ranks second (90.5%), which will be vital against an Edmonton Oilers squad boasting two of the premier goal scorers in the League in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood will possibly get the start tonight. Wedgewood, currently with eight wins on the season, has a chance to extend his lead in wins by a goaltender in the League. MacKenzie Blackwood, who made his season debut in goal last Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, will presumably start Sunday evening in Vancouver, provided that head coach Jared Bednar opts to give him another start to gauge his recovery from injuries he sustained during the offseason.

Sam Girard did not travel with the team. He is also recovering from an injury during the home opener against the Utah Mammoth.

The Avalanche lost two of three against Edmonton last year, their lone victory coming at Rogers Place on February 07 (a 5-4 decision). Martin Nečas scored the tie-breaking (and game-winning) goal in that contest to secure the victory. The newly-extended right-winger has been on a torrid pace to begin the season, ranking second on the team in goals (9) and points (18), while ranking third in assists (9). Nathan MacKinnon leads the team in goals (10) and points (20) and his 10 assists rank second to Cale Makar’s 14 for the team lead.

The Avalanche are 1-3 in back-to-back games this season, all of which have been played on the road. This weekend’s action will see another pair of back-to-back road games, and their second set against Pacific Division opponents. Coming into tonight’s game, the Avs are tops in the standings across the Central Division, the Western Conference, and the entire NHL. A victory in Edmonton will ensure that doesn’t change.

Projected Lineup​

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Gabe Landeskog – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Zakhar Bardakov – Parker Kelly – Gavin Brindley*

Defense:
Cale Makar – Devon Toews
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Jack Ahcan – Sam Malinski

Between the Pipes:
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood

*As of this writing, the Avalanche have not announced a transaction to fill Brindley’s roster spot. Brindley has not seen game action since October 31 at Vegas but fully participated in practice this week.

Edmonton Oilers​

Don’t be fooled by Edmonton’s pedestrian 6-5-3 record to start the season: this team has been the class of the Western Conference two years in a row. Their bid for their first Stanley Cup championship in thirty-five years again fell short as they dejectedly watched Florida claim their second Stanley Cup title in as many years this past June. Unlike the previous season where Edmonton mounted a valiant comeback to force a Game Seven in the Stanley Cup Final, Florida dispatched Edmonton in five games to secure their repeat championship.

The biggest and certainly most important move the Oilers made in the offseason came in the form of the two-year, $25 million dollar extension signed by franchise cornerstone Connor McDavid. While Oilers fans are breathing a sigh of relief, they are patently aware that the championship window may very well last through the duration of McDavid’s extension if their championship aspirations fall short again. While turning in two consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances is an impressive accomplishment in its own right, the prevalent opinion among Oilers fans is that “close enough” isn’t good enough coming into this season, especially given the uncertainty on the horizon if the franchise doesn’t realize its championship potential.

McDavid currently leads Edmonton in assists (17) and points (21), but surprisingly only has score four goals all season, tying him with Andrew Mangiapane for third place on the roster. Edmonton’s leading goal scorer is their other premier center in Leon Draisaitl, who has ten goals to this point of the season, six of which have come on the power play. Draisaitl ranks second to McDavid in points (17) and fourth in assists (7). It won’t be long before McDavid rediscovers his scoring touch and challenges Draisaitl for the team lead in every scoring category.

In its bid to make a third consecutive run to the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton handed out some other big ticket contracts through the offseason. Trent Frederic signed an eight year, $30 million dollar contract extension in June. Jake Walman signed a seven year, $49 million dollar contract extension on the eve of the season. Vasily Podkolzin’s three year, $8.85 million dollar extension in September almost seems tame by comparison.

Edmonton did find enough pennies in their couch cushions after these hefty signings for three more roster additions in Kasperi Kapanen, Curtis Lazar, and Jack Roslovic, all of whom signed one-year contracts. Roslovic was the most noteworthy of the trio, coming off a season where he tied his career high in goals (22) last year with Carolina. He currently ranks fifth in goals scored (3) and points (8) with Edmonton thus far.

Edmonton comes into tonight’s game off two consecutive losses against Central Division opponents: a 3-2 decision on the road against the St. Louis Blues this past Monday, and a 4-3 shootout decision against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Tuesday.

Despite struggling on the road this season, Edmonton is 4-0-2 at Rogers Place, and is one of two teams in the League that has yet to lose in regulation on home ice. The other team is none other than the Colorado Avalanche, who sport an identical record at Ball Arena.

Projected Lineup​

Forwards:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Andrew Mangiapane
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Jack Roslovic
Matt Savoie – Adam Henrique – Trent Frederic
Isaac Howard – Noah Philp – David Tomasek

Defense:
Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse – Jake Walman
Brett Kulak – Alec Regula

Between the Pipes:
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard

Source: https://www.milehighhockey.com/colo...against-edmonton-in-a-saturday-night-showdown