Colorado Avalanche (16-13-0) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (12-13-4)
5 p.m. MT | PPG Paints Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
On the heels of a perfect back-to-back, the Avalanche conclude their road trip in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. This is the first of two matchups between the teams this season, as they’ll meet in Denver on March 4.
Latest Result (COL): COL 4, NJD 0
Latest Result (PIT): TOR 2, PIT 5
A Shutout Against New Jersey
The Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 4-0 at the Prudential Center on Sunday. Scott Wedgewood recorded a 26-save shutout, Ross Colton scored in his home state, and Casey Mittelstadt posted a pair of assists. Colton opened the scoring at 4:09 of the first period from the doorstep with his ninth tally of the season. Doubling Colorado’s lead, Logan O’Connor scored his fourth goal of the year at 14:52 of the first via a redirection from the slot. Scoring his seventh goal of the season, Artturi Lehkonen gave the Burgundy and Blue a 3-0 lead at 14:36 of the middle frame with a breakaway tally. Parker Kelly iced the game with his second goal of the year with an empty-net tally at 16:05 of the third to put Colorado up 4-0. This win marked the Avs’ first shutout victory of the season as they improved to 16-13-0.
Colorado’s Contributors
Nate the Great
Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL in assists (32) and is third in points (41). He’s posted five points (2g/3a) on this road trip.
All Hail Cale
Cale Makar leads NHL defensemen in goals (9), assists (26), and points (35). Among all NHL skaters, he’s tied for fifth in assists.
Moose Crossing
Mikko Rantanen is tied for seventh in the NHL in both goals (15) and points (37). He’s posted three assists on this road trip.
Guess Who’s Back?
Colton scored in his second game back from injury and has a +2 plus/minus rating with five shots on goal since returning.
All Aboard!
Valeri Nichushkin has posted 10 points (6g/4a) in his last nine games including four points (3g/1a) in his last three.
Mittelstadt Mode
In his last two games, Mittelstadt has posted three assists and a +3 plus/minus rating.
History
In 43 previous regular-season matchups, the Avalanche are 23-11-9 against the Penguins. Last season, the teams split their two matchups. Their most recent meeting in Denver involved a two-goal performance from Jonathan Drouin, including an overtime winner to help the Avs overcome a 4-0 second-period deficit to win 5-4.
Triumphant Against Toronto
The Penguins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday. Pittsburgh’s Rickard Rakell opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 4:39 of the first period before Mitch Marner evened the score at 6:35 of the opening frame. Bryan Rust gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 14:15 of the first but the Leafs would answer with a power-play goal by William Nylander at 2:32 of the second. Michael Bunting gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal at 5:34 of the third before they added two short-handed empty-net goals from Blake Lizotte at 19:20 and Kris Letang at 19:34.
Potent Versus Pittsburgh
MacKinnon has posted 21 points (8g/13a) in 20 games against the Penguins including nine points (4g/5a) in his last six games against them.
Devon Toews has registered eight points (2g/6a) in nine games against Pittsburgh.
In 13 games against the Penguins, Rantanen has posted 11 points (2g/9a).
Steel City Stars
Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins in assists (19) and points (27).
Evgeni Malkin is second on the team in assists (18) and points (24).
Rakell leads Pittsburgh in goals (11) and is third in points (18).
A Numbers Game
600
Rantanen is scheduled to play in his 600th NHL game tonight. In his first 599 contests, he’s posted 654 points (277g/377a).
18
MacKinnon has posted 18 points (7g/11a) in 17 games against Crosby, his fellow Nova Scotian.
3
Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar is the third-longest tenured active head coach in the NHL, trailing Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan for second place and Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper for first.
Quote That Left a Mark
"We played great. Everybody played awesome. Obviously, [Wedgewood] made some huge saves. I thought we smothered them pretty good, and we also created a ton [of opportunities]. It was a good all-around effort."
-- Nathan MacKinnon on Sunday’s win against the Devils
