Avalanche Weekly Update - Feb. 12
Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen are on the verge of milestones
by Colorado Avalanche @Avalanche / ColoradoAvalanche.com
Avalanche Notes
MILESTONE WATCH: Gabriel Landeskog (398) needs two points to reach 400 for his career, while Mikko Rantanen (197) needs three points to reach 200. Landeskog would join Nikita Kucherov (418) as the only members of the 2011 NHL Draft to reach 400 points, while Rantanen would join Connor McDavid (337) and Jack Eichel (236) as the only players from the 2015 draft class to hit 200.
BARRIE AMONG NHL'S TOP DEFENSEMEN: Tyson Barrie is tied for 10th among NHL defensemen in scoring with 40 points (6g/34a) in 51 games. He led the Avalanche with 13 points (2g/11a) in 10 games during the month of January.
Upcoming Games
Tuesday, February 12 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Pepsi Center, 7 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 92.5 FM
The Avalanche returns home to host the Toronto Maple Leafs and close out the season series between the clubs. Colorado won the first meeting 6-3 on Jan. 14 in Toronto.
Thursday, February 14 at Winnipeg Jets
Bell MTS Place, 6 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 92.5 FM
Colorado heads to Winnipeg for a Valentine's Day matcup against its Central Division rival, the Jets. The teams will see each other less than a week later when Winnipeg visits the Mile High City on Feb. 20.
Saturday, February 16 vs. St. Louis Blues
Pepsi Center, 1 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 92.5 FM
The Avs return home for a Saturday matinee against another division opponent. It's the start of a three-game homestand for Colorado, which plays six-of-nine contests at Pepsi Center to wrap up the month.
Monday, February 18 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Pepsi Center, 7 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 92.5 FM
Colorado and Vegas clash in the second of three matchups between the clubs in 2018-19 on Monday. The Golden Knights won the first game 2-1 on Dec. 27.
Community Spotlight
The 22nd annual Colorado Avalanche Charity Brunch, presented by Cigna and hosted by the Avs Better Halves, will be held on Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center. The event includes brunch served by current players and alumni and a fashion show featuring Avalanche players escorting children who have overcome medical challenges. A silent auction will feature baskets of the Avalanche players and coaches' "favorite things."
The Avalanche players will partner with children referred by three organizations: Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, Rocky Mountain Children's Health Foundation and Special Olympics Colorado.
Quotable
"I think [Varlamov] got better every game. Not just Varly, but we have been talking about cleaning up our checking and our commitment to defend and our awareness as a team and certainly over the last couple games have been a lot better in that area. It is leading to points. We were struggling when we came out on the road. We were coming into three really tough buildings, against three really good teams, and we just got points in all three. To me, that is a huge step forward. Now we got to get over the hump and go get a win." - Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar following the team's three-game Eastern Conference road trip