Nathan MacKinnon Gets NHL 2nd Star of the Week
Inside the Locker Room: Avs Find Way to Win at Less Than 100% (+)
Checking In: The Latest Update On Gabriel Landeskog
Video: Why Mackenzie Blackwood is Excited to Join Avs
Good & Bad: Mikko Rantanen Nets 3rd Hat Trick of Season in Avs Win over Pens
Deen’s Daily: Several Avalanche Players Under the Weather; Goalie Attempts an NHL Comeback
Deen’s Daily: Blackwood Looks Great; ‘Sh*tty Goal’ in Pittsburgh; Husso Finally Wins
Deen’s Daily: Kovalenko Talks Trade to San Jose; Patrick Roy’s Fiery Postgame Comments
Deen’s Daily: Georgiev Speaks for First Time Since Trade; Three Assists for Kovalenko on the Top Line
Deen’s Daily: Kovalenko on the Top Line; Avalanche Back at Home
Inside the Locker Room: Avs Find Way to Win at Less Than 100% (+)
10 Observations: Avalanche Bounce Back in Blackwood’s Debut (+)
10 Observations: Avalanche fall to Utah in Snoozer At Ball Arena (+)
Inside the Locker Room: What Makes Ross Colton’s Energy Special (+)
10 Observations: Notable Numbers from Avalanche’s Dominating Win in Pittsburgh (+)
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The Colorado Avalanche (18-14-0) begin a three-game road trip on Monday with the first of three meetings this season against the Vancouver Canucks (15-9-5). Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MT.
READ MORE: With Goaltending Settled, What’s the Next Move for the Avalanche?
The Avalanche are coming off a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at Ball Arena in Mackenzie Blackwood’s debut with the team. Blackwood stopped 37-of-39 shots and was less than seven minutes away from blanking the Preds. His solid performance earned him first-star honors and another start. Blackwood, acquired a week ago today, is set to make his road debut against Thatcher Demko.
After posting a league-leading four goals and five assists in just three games, Nathan MacKinnon earned second Star of the Week honors. All of MacKinnon’s nine points came at even strength, which on the one hand is great. But on the other hand, is a sign that Colorado’s struggling power play has gone on for far too long. The Avs hope to fix this against the Canucks.
MacKinnon’s week is all the more impressive when you take into account that the team scored 12 total goals in those three games. He leads the NHL with 50 points — three more than second place, Minnesota’s Kirill Karpizov. MacKinnon’s teammate Mikko Rantanen is tied with Nikita Kucherov in third place with 46 points. Rantanen also had nine points last week.
Saturday’s victory brought the Avs back to .500 at home, an 8-8 record. But on the road, Colorado is 10-6-0 and is riding a three-game winning streak while outscoring the opposition 12-3. Alternatively, the Canucks are one of the best road teams in the league, boasting an insanely good 10-2-1 record. But at Rogers Arena, they are a lowly 5-7-4 and are coming off their worst loss yet — a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins.
Vancouver is 2-2-1 during a six-game homestand which ends against the Avs.
Quinn Hughes leads the Canucks in scoring with 34 points in 27 games. The only defenseman with more points than him in the entire NHL? You guessed it: Cale Makar. The Avalanche’s top blueliner has 37 points, albeit in 32 games. The duo are neck and neck in points per game and pace the rest of the league.
READ MORE: 10 Observations: Avalanche Bounce Back in Blackwood’s Debut (+)
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Ross Colton — Casey Mittelstadt — Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta – Parker Kelly – Logan O’Connor
Tye Felhaber — Ivan Ivan — Chris Wagner
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton — Calvin de Haan
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Avalanche Game 32 vs Nashville Predators, Mackenzie Blackwood Debut! Lines, Notes, & How to Watch
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