MacKinnon Makes NHL History with 1,000th Career Point
Old Friend, New Role: Erik Johnson Will Play for the Avalanche Tonight
Why the Avs’ Cup Chances Surged Down the Stretch
Erik Johnson Will ‘Bring a Good Balance’ to Avs
Exclusive: Why Toews is Excited for Nelson to Join the Avs (+)
Deen’s Daily: Homestand Statistics; Blues & Leafs Blow It; Wolf, Hutson and the Calder Trophy
Deen’s Daily: Blackwood’s Shootout Performance; Old-Time Hockey in Detroit!
Deen’s Daily: An Uninspring Avs Shootout; Homestand Observations; Crosby Is Still Good at Hockey
Deen’s Daily: MacKinnon’s Big Milestone; Homestand Perfection; Ekblad Hit With 20-Game Suspension
Deen’s Daily: Avs’ New Center Depth; Crosby Scores on Fleury; Colorado’s Homestand Finale
10 Observations: The Avalanche’s Center Depth Is a Problem – And That’s Bad News for the NHL (+)
Exclusive: Why Toews is Excited for Nelson to Join the Avs (+)
Deen’s View: Lindgren Acquisition Addresses Avalanche Need, but Is It Enough? (+)
From Rantanen to Necas: How MacKinnon Adapted to a Sizeable Avalanche Change (+)
10 Observations: ‘No Passengers’ in a Nearly Perfect Avalanche Performance (+)
Published
on
By
The Colorado Avalanche (39-24-3) finish off a two-game road trip with a battle against the Calgary Flames (30-23-11). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. MT.
READ MORE: Avalanche Mailbag: Trade Deadline Fallout & Stretch Run — Ask Us Anything!
Following a perfect 6-0-0 homestand, the Avalanche suffered a 2-1 shootout loss against the Minnesota Wild on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Colorado defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 at home on Monday, flew out after the game, landed in Saint Paul at 4 a.m., and took on a rested Wild team. All things considered, it was a good game and a great job by the Avs for squeezing out a point.
The lone goal came from Joel Kiviranta after he tipped home a Samuel Girard backhand shot from the blueline to beat Filip Gustavsson late in the third period. Kiviranta is red hot, riding a career-high four-game goal-scoring streak. Mackenzie Blackwood was in goal for the Avs and didn’t look great in the shootout. But in regulation, Blackwood made 22 saves, only giving up a goal on a bad turnover in the second period.
Now, after a full day off and a practice in Calgary, they’ll look to beat the Flames on the road again with an opportunity to get back into the winning column before a crucial match against the Dallas Stars at home on Sunday.
The Avs are riding a strong defensive stretch where they’ve given up just 11 goals in their past 11 games. Head coach Jared Bednar has continued to juggle through his depth options, allowing him to both rest players and see which combinations work.
Against the Flames, Erik Johnson will draw back in for Sam Malinski on defense. The forward group will remain the same.
Scott Wedgewood is also making his second start in three games because Blackwood is under the weather. Wedgewood has won his last two starts, giving up just one goal on 53 shots in 120 minutes of action.
READ MORE: Digging Through The Numbers From the Avalanche’s Perfect Homestand
Calgary is in the midst of a playoff race for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference, a seed they currently hold in the standings. In their last game, the Flames fell in OT to the Vancouver Canucks — one of the teams challenging them for a trip to the postseason.
Overtime losses have helped keep them in the race. Calgary is 4-2-4 in its last 10 games and are tied with both the Canucks and Utah Hockey Club with 11 OT losses.
Offensively, Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau lead the way with 48 points each. They’re the only two skaters with more than 40 points on a team starving for goals.
Their season us ultimately being kept alive by the play of rookie netminder Dustin Wolf. He’ 22-15-2 with a .915 save percentage and is likely to be a finalist for the Calder Trophy. Especially if the Flames end up qualifying for the postseason.
Subscribe to CHN+ using promo code Deen10 for 25% off an annual subscription.
READ MORE: The Avalanche’s Center Depth is a Problem — And That’s Bad News for the NHL (+)
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Valeri Nichushkin — Brock Nelson — Jonathan Drouin
Joel Kiviranta – Charlie Coyle – Ross Colton
Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Ryan Lindgren — Josh Manson
Samuel Girard — Erik Johnson
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood
Avalanche Mailbag: Trade Deadline Fallout & Stretch Run — Ask Us Anything!
CAL’s 2C Connor Zary not playing as he is suspended two games and will serve his first game tonight.
Dude should’ve been banned for 20 games.
He did a bertuzzi-esque move on the canucks player.
I like resting people, but pass it around. Malinski has been solid of late and doesn’t need a scratch every other game. Scratch Toews, Makar and Girard occasionally. Team is basically locked into the 3 spot in division, so let’s get the entire roster some rest. Last 2 years Bednar rode our horses into the ground trying for better playoff positions. Let’s go a different route this year.
Bednar’s strategy on defense makes no sense to me. When Lindgren came over, he said he wanted him and Manson to play on different lines. Since Manson came back, they’ve only played together, and their underlying numbers are not good. Meanwhile, Girard and Malinski have played well, but are playing less minutes and are playing together when they typically need a more physical player to pair with. Bednar said Malinksi played his best game as an Av against the Maple Leafs. His reward? Bottom 6 minutes and a timeshare with EJ. Love EJ, glad he’s here to set the tone… Read more »
EJ looked bad in his first game. He was a turn over machine that fell down on the ice every third shift.
I thought he was better than I was expecting. But my expectations were set low, I thought he did not better than Middleton lol
EJ is good for the team, the locker room but I really hope he’s religated to the #7 D during the playoffs.
I guess we watched a different game. I didn’t see the turnovers that you did. If he lost the puck, he quickly regained possession. He was rusty, for sure. But a physical presence on the ice at all times. Let’s see if he can move better and key the transition from defense to offense. Heck, maybe even score a goal!
Look, I know they are all important games but why not give Toews a night off? Or Makar? Perhaps this will happen as the season winds down and the Avs are locked into a playoff spot. I know Malinski at age 26 doesn’t need a rest. And Bedsy is probably seeing how much E.J. really has in the tank before the real season starts.
Enter your email address to get all of our posts in your inbox!
Colorado’s premier coverage of the Avalanche from professional hockey people. Evan Rawal, Editor-in-Chief. Part of the National Hockey Now family.
This site is in no way associated with the Colorado Avalanche or the NHL. Copyright © 2023 National Hockey Now.
