Chicago Blackhawks (22-27-9) @ Colorado Avalanche (38-10-9)
4 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
For the third-consecutive game, the Avalanche faces a Central Division opponent when it hosts the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. This is the second of three regular-season meetings between the teams, as the Avalanche won 1-0 on the road on November 23rd and they’ll meet in Chicago on March 20th.
Latest Result (COL): MIN 5, COL 2
Latest Result (CHI): CHI 2, NSH 4
Defeat on Wednesday
The Avalanche lost 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild at Ball Arena on Thursday. Martin Necas scored twice and Nathan MacKinnon recorded two assists while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced. The Wild scored first when Joel Eriksson Ek tallied a power-play goal at 7:48 of the second period via a shot from the doorstep. Necas tied the game with his 24th goal of the season at 13:30 of the middle frame via a right-circle shot off the rush after he received a drop pass from MacKinnon, who helped create space for Necas by skating at the nearest Wild player, Daemon Hunt. At 17:37 of the middle frame, Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal when his pass from the right goal line deflected into the net. Mats Zuccarello made it a 3-1 game when his pass from the left doorstep deflected into the net at 15:08 of the third period. Matt Boldy gave the Wild a 4-1 lead at 16:38 of the third period with a shorthanded empty-net goal. With the Avs’ net empty, Necas made it a 4-2 game when he scored his second goal of the game and 25th of the season via a left-circle one-timer set up by MacKinnon at 19:03 of the third period. At 19:28 of the third period, Boldy scored an empty-net goal to give the Wild a 5-2 lead.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (40), is tied for second in points (95) and ranks third in assists (55).
All Hail Cale
Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is tied for fourth in points (58) and assists (43).
Marty Party
Necas is tied for 11th in the NHL in points (66).
Series History
In 116 previous regular-season games against the Blackhawks, the Avalanche has a record of 67-36-3-8. The teams have met twice in the playoffs, with the Avalanche defeating the Blackhawks in six games in the 1996 Western Conference Semifinals and the 1997 Western Conference Quarterfinals.
Thursday in Tennessee
The Blackhawks lost 4-2 to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday. Nashville’s Filip Forsberg opened the scoring at 13:50 of the first period before Chicago’s Connor Bedard tied the game at 4:13 of the middle frame. Tyler Bertuzzi gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at 3:16 of the third period before Matthew Wood tied the game on the power play for the Predators at 7:12. Nashville took a 4-2 lead after Ryan O’Reilly scored at 16:44 and Steven Stamkos added an empty-net tally at 19:12.
Contributors Against Chicago
MacKinnon has posted 48 points (16g/32a) in 45 games against the Blackhawks.
In 16 games against Chicago, Makar has registered 16 points (7g/9a).
Gabriel Landeskog has recorded 34 points (14g/20a) in 40 games against the Blackhawks.
Windy City Scorers
Bedard leads the Blackhawks in points (54) and assists (30) while ranking second in goals (24).
Bertuzzi leads the Blackhawks in goals (26), is second in points (43) and tied for fourth in assists (17).
Andre Burakovsky is second on the Blackhawks in assists (20), third in points (30) and tied for fifth in goals (10).
A Numbers Game
51.3%
This season, MacKinnon is winning a career-best 51.3% of his face-offs.
.928
Among NHL goaltenders with at least three starts in February, Blackwood’s .928 save percentage is tied for the third highest.
21
Colorado’s 21 regulation wins at home this season are the most in the NHL.
Quote That Left a Mark
“[There’s going to] be important games, especially these division games, no doubt about it. I think for us, obviously these are important games and points, we know that, but I think for us it doesn’t really change our approach or anything like that. We have to be a few percent better, that’s for sure, but at the end of the day, they earned their bounces tonight and we did not.”
-- Gabriel Landeskog on the team’s upcoming schedule and Thursday’s game against the Wild
