Denver, CO – As the Ball Arena staff love to say, these division rivalries “just mean more.” This couldn’t be more true as the Colorado Avalanche have finally found themselves in the top half of the standings after dropping four straight games to start the season. After a hard-fought win last night against the Ottawa Senators, the Avalanche will be looking to improve their record to 6-4-0 against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight.
A Brief Look Back At Last Night
Justus Annunen started in goal for the Avalanche, making it his fourth-straight starting appearance. In those starts, he’s made a case for himself, vying for the competitive starting spot that, according to Head Coach Jared Bednar, is still up for grabs.
The goaltending matchup on the other side of the ice was Anton Forsberg, who started over 2023 Vezina Trophy Winner Linus Ullmark. We did see appearances from both goaltenders after an equipment issue on Forsberg’s part became a little more complicated than anticipated. What became a brief carousel between the goaltenders in the crease ultimately ended with Anton Forsberg finishing the game.
Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Rookie forward Nikolai Kovalenko netted the first goal of his NHL career to get the Avalanche started. In a pattern of “firsts,” defenseman Josh Manson and forward Logan O’Connor also scored their first goals of the season.
Ross Colton, or Ross “Goalton” as he’s been appropriately nicknamed, scored his eighth goal of the season in the third period of last night’s contest. Eight goals in eight games is a career start for the 28-year-old forward. He’s currently on pace to beat his career high of 22 goals with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021-22 campaign.
All of Ottawa’s goals came during the third period, which overshadowed two great periods of hockey from the Avalanche. Captian Brady Tkachuk got the scoring started for the Senators a little after the 9-minute mark, receiving a bank pass behind the goal from defenseman Tyler Kleven. Forward Nick Cousins evened the score two minutes later, giving his team life in a game that wasn’t looking to be in their favor during the first two periods. Veteran forward Claude Giroux netted two one-timers, but thanks to the goals from O’Connor, Colton, and eventually Nathan MacKinnon, the Avalanche managed to grind out with a win.
Nathan MacKinnon’s empty-net goal, as well as the assist on Kovalenko’s goal, marks a nine-game season-opening point streak for the forward. Cale Makar finds himself holding the same streak after earning an assist on Colton’s goal.
Streaks and Records to Keep an Eye On
Speaking of point streaks, the 2021-22 Norris Trophy winner has an opportunity to make it into the franchise record book yet again. If Makar can manage to earn a point tonight, he will break the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise record for the longest season-opening point streak by a defenseman. This record is currently held by John-Michael Liles from the 2010-11 season, per the NHL Records website.
In addition, if MacKinnon can also come out of tonight’s contest with a point, this will mark the second consecutive campaign earning a season-opening point streak of 10 games.
Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
A Division Matchup to End the Back-To-Back
Chicago Blackhawks Head Coach Luke Richardson confirmed today that not only will the lineup look the same as it did during their last game against Dallas, but Czech net minder Petr Mrazek will also start in goal. This will mark his fourth consecutive start.
While the Avalanche will be looking for their fifth consecutive win, the Blackhawks will be looking to break their four-game losing streak. They’ve had a day of rest between their last game, a 4-2 loss against the Dallas Stars, and today while the Avalanche will go into their second game in this week’s back-to-back.
The Avalanche have put early rumors to bed that the team is reliant solely on their top line to get the job done. As the Avalanche are still waiting to dress a fully healthy team, this has given players up and down the lineup their chances to shine. This includes Joel Kiviranta, who despite not scoring last game, has four goals in the previous three games and has been an impressive and crucial part of the recent success of the teqam.
Seeing as Justus Annunen played last night, it’s likely that we will see Alexander Georgiev get the nod in goal tonight.
Jared Bednar will not be available for media questions before the game, so more updates on lineups and starting goaltenders will come after warmups.
