Avs left wing J.T. Compher is from the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Illinois…Chicago assistant coach Marc Crawford was the head coach of the Avalanche/Nordiques from 1994-95 to 1997-98 and won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996…. Blackhawks defensemen Caleb and Seth Jones' father, Popeye Jones, played for the Denver Nuggets in 1999-00 and is now an assistant coach with the NBA team.
HISTORY
The Avs are 73-55-17 all-time versus the Blackhawks. This will be the final regular season meeting between the two teams, and if Colorado secures a victory, they will have swept Chicago 4-0 this season.
ROSTER REPORT
Dylan Sikura has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles.
INJURY REPORT
Nathan MacKinnon took a hard hit versus the Bruins Wednesday and did not return to the game. He is unlikely to take the ice Friday. Ryan Murray has returned to practice but continues to be sidelined due to an upper body injury. Bowen Byram remains out due to lingering concerns over past head injuries. Darren Helm is still considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Stefan Matteau is expected stay out for a few more weeks while he rehabs a lower-body injury from October 2021.
SCOUTING THE BLACKHAWKS
After an 8-5 win over Detroit, which snapped a four-game losing streak, Chicago hosts the Avalanche to begin a three-game homestand. The Blackhawks stand at seventh in the Central Division with a 16-20-7 record.
Chicago is 17th in the league in power play percentage (19.9 percent) and 26th in the league in penalty kill (75.4 percent).
(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: Dylan Strome
Center Dylan Strome has tallied 16 points this season with a quarter of those points coming from Chicago's most recent matchup against the Red Wings. Strome posted a hat trick plus an assist, leading the Blackhawks to an 8-5 win over Detroit. Strome nearly doubled his goal total in one game, going from four in the season to seven.
NUMBERS GAME
27
The Avalanche have tallied 27 points in the month of January (13-0-1), the most points in the month of January in NHL history.
17
Colorado has extended its home winning streak to 17 games, the fifth longest streak in NHL history.
30
The Avs are the fastest team to reach 30 wins this season and have also reached this mark faster than any other team in franchise history.
NOTEBOOK
J.T. Compher has played in 300 NHL games... Cale Makar has passed Sandis Ozolinsh on the franchise game-winning goals leaderboard and now holds the 27th spot all-time... Nazem Kadri's 55 points this season ties his second highest career total, this time in 42 less games.
