San Jose Sharks (27-23-4) @ Colorado Avalanche (36-9-9)
7 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (950 AM)
The Avalanche wraps up its two-game homestand with a clash against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. This is the third and final regular-season meeting between the teams, as the Sharks won 3-2 in overtime in San Jose on November 1st, and the Avalanche won 6-0 in Denver on November 26th.
Latest Result (COL): DET 2, COL 0
Latest Result (SJS): SJS 3, CHI 6
Defeat at Home
The Avalanche lost 2-0 to the Detroit Red Wings at Ball Arena on Monday. In net for Colorado, Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced. Detroit’s Marco Kasper opened the scoring at 33 seconds of the first period with a shot from the left doorstep off the rush. Lucas Raymond made it 2-0 with an empty-net tally at 19:29 of the third period.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (40), is second in points (91) and tied for fourth in assists (51).
All Hail Cale
Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is fourth in points (56), fifth in assists (41) and tied for fifth in goals (15).
Brock & Roll
Brock Nelson is tied for 12th in the NHL in goals (28).
Series History
In 113 previous regular-season games against the Sharks, the Avalanche has a record of 62-38-5-8. The teams have met five times in the playoffs, including the 1999 Western Conference Quarterfinals that saw the Avs win in six games and the 2002 Western Conference Semifinals that Colorado won in seven contests.
Clash with Chicago
The Sharks lost 6-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Monday. Chicago’s Connor Bedard opened the scoring at 7:00 of the first period with a power-play goal. The Blackhawks took a 4-0 second-period lead after goals from Connor Murphy at 2:14, Ryan Donato at 9:35 and Sam Rinzel at 10:36. Will Smith put the Sharks on the board at 12:05 of the middle frame before Ilya Mikheyev gave the Blackhawks a 5-1 lead at 12:41 of the second period. Macklin Celebrini made it a 5-2 game with a goal at 15:11 of the second period. In the third period, Shakir Mukhamadullin made it a 5-3 game for San Jose before Ryan Donato gave Chicago a 6-3 lead at 14:41.
Scoring Against the Sharks
MacKinnon has posted 58 points (22g/36a) in 39 regular-season games against the Sharks, in addition to five points (3g/2a) in seven playoff contests.
In 16 contests against San Jose, Artturi Lehkonen has recorded 11 points (4g/7a).
Makar has registered 31 points (8g/23a) in 18 regular-season games against the Sharks, in addition to four assists in seven playoff contests.
San Jose’s Scorers
Celebrini leads the Sharks in points (81), goals (28) and assists (51).
Smith is second on the Sharks in points (39) and goals (17) while ranking tied for fourth in assists (22).
Alexander Wennberg is second on the Sharks in assists (26) and tied for third in points (36).
A Numbers Game
699
MacKinnon has posted 699 assists in his career and is one helper from becoming the second player in franchise history to post 700 apples (Joe Sakic, 1,016).
.912
Colorado’s .912 team save percentage at home is tied for the best in the NHL.
84.4
The Avalanche’s 84.4% mark on the penalty kill is the second best in the NHL.
Quote That Left a Mark
“He’s stringing together some nice games here. Obviously the Detroit game (28-save shutout on Saturday), Toronto (33 saves on January 25th), this one, so he’s getting back in the swing of things. He’s been working hard at it.”
-- Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar on Mackenzie Blackwood
