Avalanche Weekly Update - Feb. 25
Colorado prepares for a four-game week
by Colorado Avalanche @Avalanche / ColoradoAvalanche.com
Avalanche Notes
ROAD, SWEET ROAD: The Avs have won six straight road games, tied for the second-longest road winning streak in franchise history. The six-game streak is tied for the second-longest in the NHL this season. Colorado's 20 road wins (20-9-2) are tied for second in the league.
NEW FACES: The Avalanche acquired forward Vladislav Namestnikov (from Ottawa) and goaltender Michael Hutchinson (from Toronto) on Monday. Namestnikov, 27, has tallied 25 points (13g/12a) in 54 games with the Senators this season and has 183 points (79g/104a) in 416 career NHL contests with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Ottawa. Hutchinson, 29, has appeared in 15 games this season with the Maple Leafs and four outings with the club's American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
Upcoming Games
Wednesday, Feb. 26 vs. Buffalo Sabres
Pepsi Center, 6 p.m. MT, TV: NBCSN, Radio: 92.5 FM
The Avalanche wraps up its two-game season series against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, which will also be Military Appreciation Night at Pepsi Center.
Friday, Feb. 28 at Carolina Hurricanes
PNC Arena, 5 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 950 AM
Colorado makes its lone trip to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes Friday night, beginning a stretch that will see the Avs play six of seven games away from Pepsi Center.
Saturday, Feb. 29 at Nashville Predators
Bridgestone Arena, 5 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 92.5 FM
The Avs wrap up their 11th back-to-back set of the season against the Nashville Predators. The game marks just the third time since moving to Denver that the club has played a game on Leap Day (Feb. 29).
Monday, March 2 at Detroit Red Wings
Little Caesars Arena, 5 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 92.5 FM
Colorado closes out its three-game road trip against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday, the final game between the clubs in 2019-20. The Avs won 6-3 in the first meeting on Jan. 20 at Pepsi Center.
Player Spotlight: Pavel Francouz
Francouz was named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday. In four starts since Feb. 17, Francouz went 3-0-1 with a .941 save percentage and 1.46 goals-against average, both the best among all goalies who started at least four games. Francouz signed a two-year contract extension with Colorado on Friday, hours before earning his first career shutout in the team's 1-0 victory at the Anaheim Ducks. He is tied for fourth in the league in save percentage (.927) and ranks fifth in goals-against average (2.27).
Quotable
"I'm proud of the team from how we were able to find ways to get wins, like today and yesterday. In Anaheim, we probably weren't feeling the best. We didn't have our best legs and a lot of guys out of the lineup. So I thought how we were able to battle and defend hard and block shots, and obviously [goaltender Pavel Francouz] played two amazing games in net. It's good to find ways to get wins." - Avalanche forward Joonas Donskoi on sweeping a back-to-back set in Southern California last weekend