Avalanche Returns to Denver to Host Senators

The Colorado Avalanche is back at Pepsi Center on Tuesday to take on the Ottawa Senators.
The Avs finished their five-game road trip on Sunday with a 3-2 victory at the Minnesota Wild. All of the scoring came in the second period, with the Avalanche getting goals from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Nathan MacKinnon and the game-winner from Gabriel Landeskog. The Avs earned their 70th point of the season and are now only three points behind the St. Louis Blues for the top spot in the Central Division, with two games in hand.
Colorado ended the road trip with a 4-1-0 mark, earning eight of a possible 10 points. It was the first time that the Avs have won at least four games of a five-game road swing since Oct. 10-17, 2011 when they went 5-0-0.

Ottawa is coming off a 5-2 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. The Senators received goals from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mikkel Boedker, but Patrik Laine tallied Winnipeg's last three goals for the hat trick and to help the Jets take the victory. The matchup against the Avalanche is the final road game before the Senators start a season-long, six-game homestand.
The Avs are returning to Pepsi Center ice for the first time in more than three weeks. The last time Colorado played a home game was on Jan. 20 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Avalanche vs. Ottawa Senators

Pepsi Center | Denver, Colo.
| Game Time: | 7 p.m. | | --- | --- | | TV: | Altitude, TSN 5, RDS (OTT) | | Radio: | Altitude Sports Radio, FM 92.5/AM 950 (KKSE) | | Live Streams: | NHL.tv, AltitudeNow.com, Official app (blackouts apply to all) | | Online Audio: | Listen Live Here | | Follow: | @Avalanche, Official app, Gamecenter | | Get Tickets | Altitude Tickets Account Manager | Pepsi Center | Parking |

COLORADO-OTTAWA CONNECTIONS

Samuel Girard and Vladislav Kamenev were part of the three-team trade with Nashville and Ottawa in November 2017… Ian Cole was acquired by Ottawa in a trade in February 2018 but was dealt to Columbus three days later… Avs assistant general manager Craig Billington played for the Senators for two seasons (1993-1995)… Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson spent parts of two seasons with the Avs from 2009-2011... Senators forward Mikkel Boedker played for Colorado at the end of 2015-16… Cody Goloubef played 33 games with the Avs in the 2016-17 campaign… Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith played part of the 2002-03 season with the Avalanche.

HISTORY

The Avalanche defeated the Senators 4-1 in the first matchup of the season on Thursday in Ottawa. Colorado's depth was on display as Valeri Nichushkin, Matt Nieto, Cale Makar and J.T. Compher all scored, and goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 25 saves to get the win for the Avs. Colorado has now won two of the last three matchups against the Sens.
The Avs own a 30-17-5 all-time franchise record against Ottawa and a 17-14-3 mark against the club since moving to Colorado in 1995. The Avalanche has edged out the Senators at home to earn a 9-5-2 record in Denver.

ROSTER REPORT

Defenseman Calle Rosen was reassigned to the American Hockey League's Colorado Eagles on Monday.

INJURY UPDATE

Nazem Kadri left Sunday's game with a lower-body injury, and his status for the game against the Senators won't be known until Tuesday morning since the Avs did not practice on Monday following their road trip… Colin Wilson (lower body) is continuing his rehab after undergoing two surgeries earlier this season.

SCOUTING THE SENATORS

Ottawa is in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with an 18-26-11 record this year. The Senators have earned points in eight of their last 12 games, owning a 2-4-6 mark in that time.
The Sens have won six of their 27 road games this season, getting 17 total points away from home (6-16-5). On the road, the Senators average 2.33 goals while allowing 3.70 from the other team.

(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: Anthony Duclair

Anthony Duclair is in a three-way tie with teammates Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Connor Brown as the leading scorers of the Senators. Duclair has registered 34 points (21 goals, 13 assists) so far this season. His five power-play goals put him in a tie for first on Ottawa.
Duclair was selected in the third round (No. 80 overall) of the 2013 draft by the New York Rangers. He played with New York, the Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets before joining the Senators in a trade on Feb. 24, 2019. Duclair has registered 156 career points (77 goals, 79 assists) in 341 NHL outings.

NUMBERS GAME

43

Colorado owns a plus-43 goal differential this season, the best in the Western Conference and third-best in the league.

80

The Avs have scored 80 goals in the second period this season to lead the league. Colorado is the first team this season to reach the 80-goal mark in any period.

200

With a helper on Sunday night in Minnesota, Matt Calvert now has 200 career points (95 goals, 105 assists). Calvert is in his 10th NHL season and has played in 545 total contests.

NOTEBOOK

Colorado picked up its 18th road win of the season on Sunday and now has the second-most in the NHL behind the Washington Capitals (20)… Bellemare delivered Colorado's eighth short-handed goal of the season to tie the club for sixth-most in the league… The Avalanche is 15-5-3 (.717) against Eastern Conference opponents, the best points percentage of any Western Conference team against the East… Goaltender Pavel Francouz owns a .925 save percentage, sixth-best in the league… The Avs continue their homestand on Thursday against Washington before playing in the 2020 NHL Stadium Series against the Los Angeles Kings at the Air Force Academy on Saturday… The current five-game homestand is tied for the longest of the season… The Avs went 3-0-2 on their last five-game homestand in January.