Colorado Avalanche (1-4-0) @ San Jose Sharks (0-3-2)
6 p.m. MT | SAP Center at San Jose | Watch: Altitude TV | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
On the heels of their first win of the season, the Avalanche embark on a three-game road trip, beginning with a clash against the San Jose Sharks. This will be the first of three meetings between the teams, as they’ll play on December 19 in San Jose and March 6 in Denver.
Latest Result (COL): ANA 3, COL 4 (OT)
Latest Result (SJS): SJS 3, WPG 8
Avalanche vs. Ducks 10.18.24 Recap
The Avalanche picked up their first win of the season against the Ducks on Friday at Ball Arena. Anaheim scored the first two goals of the game, with Leo Carlsson scoring at 6:05 of the first period and Ryan Strome doubling the Ducks’ lead at 19:36 of the opening frame. Casey Mittelstadt answered for the Avalanche with his fourth goal of the season and 200th career point with a backhand shot on a breakaway at 57 seconds of the second period. Ross Colton scored his third goal of the season on the power play at 35 seconds of the third period and then gave the Avalanche the lead with his second of the game at 11:42 of the third. The Ducks forced overtime after Troy Terry scored with just 13 seconds left to play in the game. Nathan MacKinnon proved to be the hero of the game, securing the win with 41 seconds left in overtime by sliding the puck past Lukas Dostal.
Avs Accomplishments
In addition to registering his 200th career point, Mittelstadt played in his 200th consecutive game on Friday.
Mikko Rantanen is tied for third in the NHL in points with 10 (4g/6a), while Cale Makar (1g/8a) and MacKinnon (2g/7a) are tied for fifth with nine points.
With an assist on Mittelstadt’s goal on Friday, Nikolai Kovalenko recorded the first point of his NHL career.
History
In 108 prior regular-season matchups, the Avalanche are 58-38-12 against the Sharks, including a 9-0-0 record since the start of the 2021-22 season. In 2023-24, the Avalanche won 2-1 in overtime in San Jose and beat the Sharks 6-2 and 3-1 in two matchups at Ball Arena.
Woes in Winnipeg
The Sharks fell 8-3 to the Jets on Friday in Winnipeg. Goals by Josh Morrissey and Nikolaj Ehlers put the Jets up 2-0 and after Tyler Toffoli scored for San Jose, the Jets answered with two more goals to lead 4-1 after the first intermission. Each team scored a goal in the middle frame before Cole Perfetti’s two-goal third period led the way for Winnipeg and helped them seal the victory.
Stats to Know
In 34 contests against the Sharks, MacKinnon has posted 46 points (18g/28a), including six points (2g/4a) in three games in 2023-24.
Makar extended his assist/point streak to five games with one helper. He’s the only defenseman in franchise history to begin the season with multiple season-opening five-game assist and point streaks
In 24 contests against the Sharks, Rantanen has posted 29 points (16g/13a), including two goals in three games last season.
Sharks by the Numbers
Toffoli leads the Sharks in both goals (4) and points (6) so far this season. In 29 contests against the Avalanche, he’s registered 23 points (13g/10a).
Mikael Granlund is second on the Sharks in points with five (5a) while Fabian Zetterlund (3g) and William Eklund (3a) are tied for third with three points each.
Numbers Game
79
Alexandar Georgiev picked up his first win of the season and tied Mario Gosselin for the seventh-most victories with the franchise with 79.
41.2
Colorado is converting on 41.2% of its power plays, which is the second-best mark in the NHL.
9
MacKinnon has nine speed bursts of at least 22 miles per hour, five more than Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, who are tied for second with four each.
Quote That Left a Mark
“[It was] the most positive we have been all year. I felt like we came out of that first period knowing they were dying down and we could jump on them. For us, it was just working off of each other. I think especially when [you’ve] got everybody talking on the team and on the bench, it elevates everybody’s play. So, it’s pretty fun.”
-- Cale Makar on Friday’s game
