OTTAWA SENATORS (11-16-0) AT COLORADO AVALANCHE (19-11-2)
7:00 PM MDT | BALL ARENA | WATCH: ALTITUDE TV | LISTEN: 92.5 FM
The Colorado Avalanche play the Ottawa Senators at Ball Arena on Thursday night. The Avalanche are 2-1-0 against Atlantic Division foes this campaign, outscoring them 9-6. The Senators, who recently hired Jacques Martin as their interim head coach, have dropped their last five games, including all four games of their current road trip.
Latest Results: December 19, 2023 CHI: 3 COL: 2
December 19, 2023 ARI: 4 OTT: 3
BLITZED BY THE BLACKHAWKS
The Colorado Avalanche lost to the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Tuesday Night at the United Center. Colorado is now 6-2-2 in their past 10 matchups at the United Center. The Avs are 1-1-0 against the Hawks this year, with two games remaining in the season series.
AVALANCHE vs BLACKHAWKS 12.21.2023 RECAP
Ryan Donato found the scoresheet when he buried a rebound off of a Nikita Zaitsev shot, to give the Blackhawks the opening lead. The Avs got on the board when Valeri Nichushkin tallied back-to-back power-play goals to tie the NHL lead in that category after Tuesday’s games, and give the Avs a 2-1 lead. Chicago leveled the game at two going into the first intermission, when Lukas Reichel snapped a shot past Alexandar Georgiev. The Blackhawks tallied the game-winning goal when Tyler Johnson lit the lamp on a power play in the final frame.
AVS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Nathan MacKinnon extended his point streak to 16 games, setting a new career-high. It is tied for the fifth-longest streak in franchise history and tied for the second-longest since relocating in Denver.
MacKinnon’s 16-game point streak is one game shy of the longest in the NHL this season (William Nylander, Oct. 11-Nov. 19).
Nichushkin’s two power-play goals brought him to the 250-point benchmark in his career (103g/147a).
Mikko Rantanen reached the 40-point mark (15g/25a) with an assist on Tuesday. The winger extended his point streak to a season-high-tying five games where he’s posted three goals and six assists in that span.
HISTORY
The Avalanche/Nordiques own a 34-17-4-2 all-time record against the Senators. Colorado swept Ottawa last season, winning both games by a combined score of 12-4. In the first contest the Avs recorded their largest margin of victory last season in a 7-0 win. The Avalanche are 12-6-2 in their past 20 home games against Ottawa, outscoring them 83-63. The Avs have only played 57 contests against the Senators in franchise history, it is the third fewest games they have played against any Eastern Conference club (Panthers-47 and Lightning 52).
CAUGHT BY THE COYOTES
The Ottawa Senators squandered a three-goal lead to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night at Mullett Arena, losing by a score of 4-3. The Sens got out to a lead when Angus Crookshank scored his first career goal in his second NHL game. Ottawa extended the lead to 3-0 when Josh Norris hammered a one-timer past Connor Ingram on the power play and Dominik Kubalik tipped in a point shot to end the first period. The Coyotes got on the board when Jack McBain tallied his fifth of the season and the lone goal in the middle frame. Arizona erupted for three goals in the third period to take the lead when J.J. Moser, Clayton Keller and Michael Kesselring each lit the lamp. Karel Vejmelka stopped all 16 shots he faced after relieving Ingram in the first period.
STATS TO KNOW
MacKinnon (0g/5a) and Rantanen (3g/2a) paced the Avalanche with five points in the two games against the Senators last season. Rantanen also led the Avs in the season series with his three goals.
Devon Toews has recorded 10 points (3g/7a) in his career in 10 games he has played against the Senators.
Jonathan Drouin has found the back of the net five times against the Senators in his career. That is tied for the third-most goals he has against any franchise (Penguins -8, Maple Leafs-6,Canucks-5 and Red Wings-5).
SUPER SENS
Tim Stutzle leads all players from the 2020 NHL Draft class in points with 207 (79g/128a). The next closest is Detroit’s Lucas Raymond at 126 points (50g/76a). Fellow first round pick Jake Sanderson leads all blueliners from that same draft class in points with 49 (9g/40a).
Brady Tkachuk ranks first on the Senators in goals this season with 14.
The Senators have given up the fourth-fewest goals on the road in the NHL this campaign with 37.
NUMBERS GAME
5
The Avalanche/Nordiques are 20-5-1-1 against the Senators at home in franchise history. The five regulation losses are the fewest they have had to any Eastern Conference franchise.
34
MacKinnon’s 34 assists put him at the of the leaderboard in that category this season in the NHL.
4
Rantanen’s four game-winning goals have him tied for the third-most in the NHL this campaign.
QUOTE(S) THAT LEFT A MARK
“I thought in the first period I liked our a game a lot. We were in attack mode creating some really good chances, including some power plays from our hard work and we capitalized on those. I thought we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times tonight. If you look at the turnover for their first goal of the game and routine coverage on a control breakout they get the second goal. We didn’t score a five-on-five goal tonight, we had some great chances but didn’t capitalize.”
- Colorado Head Coach Jared Bednar on Tuesday’s game
