Colorado Avalanche (34-6-9) @ Toronto Maple Leafs (24-18-9)
11:30 a.m. MT | Scotiabank Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, NHL Network | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (950 AM)
The Avalanche heads to Canada to begin a four-game road trip which begins on Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is the second and final regular-season meeting between the teams, as the Avalanche lost to the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime in Denver on January 12th.
Latest Result (COL): PHI 7, COL 3
Latest Result (TOR): VGK 6, TOR 3
Defeat at Home
The Avalanche lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3 at Ball Arena on Friday. Parker Kelly, Victor Olofsson and Cale Makar each scored a goal for the Avs, while Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas each posted two assists. Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett opened the scoring via a right-circle shot at 15:02 of the first period. Denver Barkey doubled the Flyers’ lead with a power-play goal at 18:57 of the first period via a right-circle shot. At 7:17 of the second period, Kelly put the Avs on the board with his 10th goal of the season via a backhand shot from the right doorstep. Olofsson tied the game at 10:29 of the middle frame with his 10th goal of the season via a left-circle shot. The Flyers took a 3-2 lead after Bobby Brink scored from the doorstep at 11:01 of the middle frame. Makar tied the game 12:12 of the second period with his 15th tally of the season via a right-circle shot. Tippett gave the Flyers a 4-3 lead at 56 seconds of the third period via a left-circle shot. At 2:00 of the third period, Matvei Michkov doubled Philadelphia’s lead with a deflection from the bottom of the left circle. The Flyers took a 6-3 lead when Tippett completed his hat trick with a shorthanded breakaway goal at 10:24 of the third period. Michkov made it a 7-3 game with an empty-net tally at 16:53 of the third period.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (38), is second in points (87) and third in assists (49).
All Hail Cale
Makar is tied for first in points (55) by NHL defensemenwhile ranking third in goals (15) and assists (40) by blueliners.
Marty Party
Necas is ninth in the NHL in points (62).
Series History
In 47 previous regular-season games against the Maple Leafs, the Avalanche has a record of 24-19-2-2.
Friday Night Against the Golden Knights
The Maple Leafs lost 6-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights at Scotiabank Arena on Friday. The Golden Knights took a 2-0 first-period lead after goals from Jack Eichel at 1:06 and Keegan Kolesar at 4:31. John Tavares put the Maple Leafs on the board with a goal at 13 seconds of the middle frame. Vegas took a 4-1 lead after second-period goals from Pavel Dorofeyev at 3:32 and Braeden Bowman at 5:16. Toronto pulled within a goal after second-period tallies from Scott Laughton at 10:04 and Bobby McMann at 18:19. In the third period, Mark Stone scored at 15:11 and added an empty-net goal at 19:01 to give the Golden Knights a 6-3 lead.
Tallying Points Against Toronto
MacKinnon has posted 27 points (10g/17a) in 23 games against the Maple Leafs.
In 35 contests against Toronto, Brock Nelson has registered 20 points (8g/12a).
Necas has recorded 14 points (5g/9a) in 15 games against the Maple Leafs.
Scoring in Southern Ontario
Auston Matthews leads the Maple Leafs in goals (25) and is fourth in points (42).
Matthew Knies is tied for the team lead in assists (31), is third in points (43) and fifth in goals (12).
Tavares is second on the Maple Leafs in goals (19) and points (44) while ranking third in assists (25).
A Numbers Game
51
Necas’ 51 even-strength points are the fourth most in the NHL.
1.30
Makar’s 1.30 points per game on the road are the most among NHL defensemen.
16
MacKinnon 16 even-strength goals on the road lead the NHL.
Quote That Left a Mark
“Parker’s a true pro. Everything he does is for the team. He’s [an] unselfish guy. He understands [that] we’ve had a lot of turmoil in the bottom six, especially recently, right? And he wants to make an impact in the game. And so he’s helping those guys. He’s a great leader that way. He’s helping those guys every chance he gets. He’s talking to them pregame, after the pre-scout meeting, during the game [and] on the bench because he wants his line to have success. And the best way to do that is to elevate the two guys around him, regardless of how much experience they have, right? So I love that from him.”
-- Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar on Parker Kelly helping younger players like Zakhar Bardakov and Taylor Makar
