Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks (7:30 p.m.)
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It’s a Colorado Avalanche game day!
The Avalanche continue their longest homestand of the season with a matchup against the San Jose Sharks tonight! Ball Arena will be rocking as the Avalanche look to secure their fourth-straight victory. The Sharks and Macklin Celebrini roll into town and are still working on things, but they have found some success recently and hope to play spoiler against a surging Avalanche team. Will the Avalanche play down to their competition or take care of business?
Colorado Avalanche: 36-24-2
The Opponent: San Jose Sharks (17-37-9)
Time: 7:30 p.m. MT (7:45 p.m. puck drop)
Watch: ESPN
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM
It has been a season of ups and downs for Colorado, and those downs have featured some losses to teams that, simply put, the Avalanche should beat. Tonight sets up just like that, so hopefully, Jared Bednar has the guys locked in from the start. If Colorado can establish an early lead, limiting ice time for guys like Cale Makar, who are uber-important but seemingly hobbled, that would be wonderful.
Game 63/82 could feature Colorado’s healthiest lineup of the season, with Jared Bednar hinting at Josh Manson’s return on Altitude Radio last night. It’s a good time to be healthy with playoff position on the line. I’m not too big on matchups in the playoffs, which matter a lot, but I believe if a team in the league benefits from home ice, it’s the Avalanche at altitude. Based on that, I think it should be at the top of the mind for the boys in burgundy to secure that second spot in the central division, ensuring home ice in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That will be a tough ask with Dallas and Minnesota ahead of the Avalanche. Winning streaks usually help, though!
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Valeri Nichushkin — Casey Mittelstadt — Jonathan Drouin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Joel Kiviranta
Miles Wood — Parker Kelly — Logan O’Connor
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski
Ryan Lindgren — Oliver Kylington
Josh Manson
Note: We got word that Martin Necas was playing through an illness on Tuesday, and he’s listed as day-to-day, so keep an eye on that.
The Sharks aren’t going to make the playoffs, and they only have 17 wins this season, but they just got wins 16 and 17 in their last two contests and appear to be playing like a team with nothing to lose. That’s always dangerous, and if you add Macklin Celebrini to the mix, the Sharks aren’t as easy as on out as their record indicates. Celebrini is a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year honors and has 19 goals and 26 assists in his rookie campaign and four points over his last five contests. Not too shabby for an 18-year-old.
William Eklund — Alex Wennberg — Tyler Toffoli
Fabian Zetterlun — Macklin Celebrini — Will Smith
Barclay Goodrow — Nico Sturm — Luke Kunin
Collin Graf — Ty Dellandrea — Klim Kostin
Jake Walman — Timothy Liljegren
Mario Ferraro — Shakir Mukhamadullin
Marc-Edouard Vlasic — Jack Thompson
MacKenzie Blackwood is the confirmed starter after Scott Wedgwood spelled him in a victory over the Penguins. Blackwood will face his former club, and I bet Alexandar Georgiev will, too. Intrigue.
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Skating with the Sharks
Avalanche Look to Continue Perfect Homestand Against San Jose
7:30 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: ESPN | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
After a 3-0-0 start to their homestand, the Avalanche look to continue their winning ways as they fight to complete their season series sweep of the San Jose Sharks.
Latest Result (COL): PIT 1, COL 2
Latest Result (SJS): SJS 6, BUF 2
Artturi Lehkonen scored twice to help the Avalanche beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 at Ball Arena on Tuesday. Casey Mittelstadt scored the game-winning goal while Jack Drury added an empty-net tally. In net for the Avs, Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced and was named the game’s first star. Lehkonen opened the scoring at 6:36 of the second period with his 25th goal of the season via a one-timer from the slot set up by Nathan MacKinnon’s feed. Pittsburgh tied the game at 18:04 of the middle frame with a goal by Rickard Rakell off the rush. At 15:51 of the third period, Mittelstadt gave the Avs a 2-1 lead on the power play with his 11th goal of the season via a one-timer from below the right circle set up by Valeri Nichushkin’s saucer pass. Lehkonen doubled Colorado’s lead with his 26th goal of the year via an empty-net tally at 18:52 of the third and Drury’s seventh of the year made it 4-1 at 19:52.
MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (93) and assists (70). On Tuesday, he joined Peter Stastny and Peter Forsberg as the only players in franchise history with multiple 70-assist seasons.
Among defensemen, Cale Makar is first in points (68) and goals (22) while being tied for first in assists (46).
Martin Necas is seventh in the NHL in assists (48).
In 110 previous regular-season matchups against the Sharks, the Avalanche are 60-38-12. In their earlier meetings this season, the Avs won 4-1 and 4-2 in San Jose on October 20th and December 19th, respectively.
The Sharks defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 at KeyBank Center on Tuesday. San Jose’s Timothy Liljegren opened the scoring at 1:01 of the second period before JJ Peterka tied the game for Buffalo at 5:13 of the middle frame. The Sharks took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission after Nico Sturm scored at 18:22. In the third period, William Eklund gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead at 2:19 before the Sabres answered with a Tage Thompson goal at 6:55. The Sharks then scored three-straight goals courtesy of Macklin Celebrini at 7:58, Will Smith at 12:49 and an empty-net tally from Tyler Toffoli at 18:01. In net for San Jose, former Av Alexandar Georgiev made 20 saves on 22 shots on goal.
MacKinnon has posted 50 points (18g/32a) in 36 regular-season games against the Sharks in addition to five points (3g/2a) in seven playoff games.
Makar has registered 23 points (6g/17a) in 15 regular-season games against San Jose as well as four assists in seven playoff games.
Necas has recorded six points (4g/2a) in eight regular-season games against the Sharks.
Eklund leads the Sharks in points (46) and assists (33) while being third in goals (13).
Toffoli leads the Sharks in goals (24) and third in points (43).
Celebrini is second on the Sharks in points (45) and goals (19) while being tied for second in assists (26).
MacKinnon has won 55.6% of his faceoffs since the start of February, which is the third best among players with at least 200 faceoffs taken during that time span.
The Avalanche have allowed 2.46 goals per game since January 1st, which is the fifth fewest in the NHL.
The Avalanche’s 36.4% power play since February 1st is the fifth best in the NHL.
“He was unbelievable. I mean he made some crazy saves. He was huge tonight and something else I noticed was he was very vocal. Helping the D out there with the reads and all that. He was amazing tonight.”
— Ryan Lindgren on Scott Wedgewood’s performance against the Penguins
San Jose Sharks (17-37-9) @ Colorado Avalanche (36-24-2)
A Pair of Points Against the Penguins
Avs at the Peak
History
A Big Win in Buffalo
Scoring Against San Jose
San Jose’s Stars
A Numbers Game
Quote That Left a Mark
News Feed
Nate the Great
All Hail Cale
A Marty Party
55.6%
2.46
36.4%
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Tuesday Tilt Against Pittsburgh
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Avalanche Game 63 vs San Jose Sharks: Georgiev Returns to Ball Arena, Lines, Notes & How to Watch
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The Colorado Avalanche (36-24-2) continue their six-game homestand against the San Jose Sharks (17-37-9). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. MT.
READ MORE: 10 Observations: Poor Execution and Illness Couldn’t Stop the Avalanche (+)
The Avalanche are riding a three-game winning streak entering this contest, winning each game in the first half of their season-long homestand.
Avalanche Game 62 vs Pittsburgh Penguins: Lindgren Debuts, Lines, Notes & How to Watch
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