Colorado Avalanche (18-14-0) @ Vancouver Canucks (15-9-5)
8:30 p.m. MT | Rogers Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
After a big win against Nashville at home, the Avalanche embark on a three-game road trip against Pacific Division teams starting in Vancouver. This is the first of three meetings between the teams this season, as they’ll play in Vancouver again on February 4 and in Denver on April 10.
Bouncing Back at Ball
The Avalanche beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 at Ball Arena on Saturday. Nathan MacKinnon posted three points and became the first player in the NHL to record 50 points this season. Additionally, Artturi Lehkonen posted a pair of goals and Mikko Rantanen added three assists. Making his first appearance in burgundy and blue, Mackenzie Blackwood made 37 saves. After a scoreless first frame, the Avs scored first with Ross Colton’s 10th goal of the season at 11:32 of the second period. Late in the middle frame, MacKinnon doubled Colorado’s lead with his 12th goal of the year at 18:52. By notching his 947th-career point, MacKinnon moved into third place on the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise all-time points leaderboard, passing Michel Goulet. At 3:30 of the third, Lehkonen scored his ninth goal of the year after he picked the top-right corner of the net from the left circle off the rush. The Predators wouldn’t go away quietly, scoring a pair of goals from Steven Stamkos at 13:03 and Luke Evangelista at 15:08, cutting their deficit to one. After a dominant stretch of play, the Avs took a two-goal lead when MacKinnon scored his 13th tally of the year on an empty net at 18:08. Just 62 seconds later, Lehkonen posted his 10th tally of the year, scoring an empty-net goal of his own at 19:10 to give the Avs a 5-2 lead.
An Avalanche of Points
Nate the Great
MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (50) and assists (37).
Moose Crossing
Rantanen is tied for third in the NHL in points (46), tied for fifth in goals (18), and tied for sixth in assists (28).
All Hail Cale
Makar leads NHL defensemen in points (37) and assists (28) while being tied for second in goals (9). Among all NHL skaters, he’s tied for sixth in assists.
History
In 130 previous regular-season matchups, the Avalanche are 66-46-18 against the Canucks, including wins in their last four meetings. The two teams have played twice in the playoffs, with the Avs defeating the Canucks in the 1996 and 2001 Western Conference Quarterfinals, winning in six and four games, respectively. In both seasons, the Avalanche would go on to win the Stanley Cup.
Beaten by the Bruins
The Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins 5-1 at Rogers Arena on Saturday. Boston scored two first-period goals courtesy of Brad Marchand on the power play at 5:12 and Morgan Geekie at 8:08. In the second period, it was more of the same, as Pavel Zacha gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead at 1:12 and Marc McLaughlin made it 4-0 at 11:49. Just 26 seconds into the third period, David Pastrnak scored to put the Bruins up 5-0 before Max Sasson would break Boston’s shutout with the game’s final tally at 10:13.
Prospering in the Pacific Northwest
MacKinnon has posted 29 points (9g/20a) in 26 games against the Canucks including four points (1g/3a) in three games in 2023-24.
In nine games against Vancouver, Makar has recorded 14 points (3g/11a), including four points (1g/3a) in three contests last season.
Rantanen has registered 29 points (14g/15a) in 18 games against Vancouver, including 10 points (6g/4a) in his last six games.
Canucks’ Contributors
Quinn Hughes leads the Canucks in points (34) and assists (27).
Jake DeBrusk leads Vancouver in goals (14) and is fourth in points (23).
Elias Pettersson is second on the team in points (26) and assists (18) while being tied for third in goals (8).
A Numbers Game
1.8
Since December 7, the Avalanche have allowed 1.8 goals per game, which is the fifth fewest in the NHL during that span.
55
The Avalanche have scored 55 goals on the road this season, which is the sixth most in the NHL.
5
MacKinnon became the fifth active player to record 10-straight 50-point seasons, joining Patrick Kane, John Tavares, Alex Ovechkin, and Anze Kopitar.
Quote That Left a Mark
"I thought he was outstanding. [He] just [had] complete control of the game."
-- Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar on Mackenzie Blackwood’s performance in his Avalanche debut
