Tampa Bay Lightning (7-2-0) @ Colorado Avalanche (5-4-1)
7 p.m. MDT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM), Altitude Sports Radio App
The Avalanche returns home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. This is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams in 2026-27, as they’ll play in Tampa on February 13th.
Latest Result (COL): COL 3, NJD 4
Latest Result (TBL): TBL 6, VGK 2
Defeat in New Jersey
The Avalanche lost to the New Jersey Devils 4-3 at Prudential Center on Tuesday. Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, Gabriel Landeskog added a tally and Scott Wedgewood stopped 37 of the 40 shots he faced. The Devils opened the scoring with a Luke Evangelista goal at 6:40 of the first period. Landeskog tied the game at 14:32 of the first period with his fourth goal of the season via a shot from the doorstep set up by Cale Makar after he made a series of moves around Devils players. In the middle frame, New Jersey took a 2-1 lead after a goal from Declan Chisholm at 12:33. Arseny Gritsyuk gave the Devils a 3-1 lead at 4:39 of the third period, and Jesper Boqvist’s empty-net goal at 16:05 of the final frame made it 4-1. At 16:47 of the third period, Lehkonen scored his seventh goal of the season via a right-circle shot. While the Avs were playing with six skaters, Lehkonen scored his second goal of the game and eighth of the season at 19:55 of the third period via a shot from the slot.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
Nathan MacKinnon is tied for seventh in the NHL in points (16) and tied for eighth in assists (10).
All Hail Cale
Among NHL defensemen, Makar is tied for second in goals (3), tied for fourth in points (11) and tied for sixth in assists (8).
Good Stick, Lehky
Lehkonen is tied for fourth in the NHL in goals (8).
Series History
In 47 previous regular-season games against the Lightning, the Avalanche has a record of 22-18-3-4. The teams have met once in the playoffs, with Colorado defeating Tampa Bay in six games in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
Two Points on Tuesday
The Lightning defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday. In the first period, Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for Tampa Bay with a power-play goal at 4:11 before Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev tied the game at 13:16. Entering the first intermission, it was a 2-2 game after John Carlson gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead at 14:04 and Mark Stone answered with a power-play goal for the Golden Knights at 18:30. In the second period, the Lightning took a 5-2 lead after goals from Anthony Cirelli at 6:44 and 10:09, along with a tally by Victor Hedman at 17:56. Nikita Kucherov gave Tampa Bay a 6-2 lead with a goal at 5:16 of the third period. In net for the Lightning, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced.
Lighting the Lamp Against the Lightning
MacKinnon has posted 32 points (11g/21a) in 23 regular-season games against the Lightning, along with six points (2g/4a) in six playoff contests.
Makar has registered nine points (2g/7a) in 10 regular-season contests against Tampa Bay, in addition to seven points (3g/4a) in six playoff games.
Landeskog has recorded 19 points (7g/12a) in 18 regular-season games against the Lightning, along with five points (3g/2a) in six playoff contests.
Tallying Points for Tampa Bay
Kucherov leads the Lightning in points (13) and assists (9) while ranking tied for second in goals (4).
Hagel leads the Lightning in goals (7) and is second in points (12) while ranking tied in assists (5).
Jake Guentzel is tied for second on the Lightning in goals (4) and assists (5) while ranking third in points (9).
A Numbers Game
4
Lehkonen’s four goals since October 16th are tied for the second most in the NHL.
9
MacKinnon is tied for the NHL lead with nine even-strength points at home this season.
34
Colorado leads the NHL with 34 five-on-five goals this season.
Quote That Left a Mark
“It’s just regroup time. Go back to what we were trying to do before these two games, and that’s play to our identity, the pace of the game, the competitiveness and work that’s also needed to sort of set up that pace. And then trying to sustain it for as long as we can.”
-- Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar on regrouping after the team’s road trip
