COLORADO AVALANCHE (28-13-3) AT OTTAWA SENATORS (15-23-0)
5:00 PM MDT | CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE | WATCH: ALTITUDE TV | LISTEN: 950 AM
The Avalanche make a quick turnaround and travel to take on the Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night. Colorado is 5-2-0 in the month of January. The team has won three of its past four contests coming into Tuesday night. Prior to their victory Saturday night, the Senators had lost five games in a row. This will be the regular season series finale between the clubs, with Colorado taking the first contest 6-4 on December 21.
Latest Results:
January 15, 2024 MTL: 4 COL: 3
January 13, 2024 OTT: 5 SJS: 4
CAUGHT BY THE CANADIENS
The Avalanche were defeated by the Canadiens 4-3 on Monday night at the Bell Centre. Colorado is 7-2-0 in their past nine matchups with Montreal, and has outscored them 26-18 in those games. This was the first matchup between the two teams this season. The series finale is set for March 26 at Ball Arena in Denver.
AVALANCHE vs CANADIENS 1.15.24.2024 RECAP
Colorado opened the scoring in the first period when Ross Colton slapped home a loose puck in front of the net on the power play. The Canadiens leveled the game at one by converting on the power play as well before the first intermission. Cale Makar scored his 10th goal of the season just over a minute into the second period. Rafael Harvey-Pinard tallied his first goal of the season to tie the game at two before the end of the second period. The Canadiens took a 3-2 lead when Cole Caufield scored a power-play goal early in the final frame. Devon Toews blasted a one-time shot past Jake Allen to tie the game at three, but with 4:10 remaining in regulation, Joel Armia scored the game-winning goal for Montreal.
AVS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Makar recorded a three-point game, tallying (1g/2a). It was his seventh three-point game of the season, tying his personal best for a campaign and tying the franchise record for the most such performance by a defenseman (Makar, 2022-23/Steve Duchesne, 1992-93).
The defenseman’s goal was his 75th of his career, tying Tyson Barrie for the most by a blueliner in Avalanche/Nordiques history.
Nathan MacKinnon extended his point streak to eight games by picking up an assist. He has collected 70 points (23g/47a) in 44 games this season, the fewest games to begin a campaign an Avalanche skater has need to reach 70 points. Quebec Nordiques forwards Peter Stastny (5x; last 43 GP in 1987-88) and Michel Goulet (42 GP in 1983-94) are the only players in franchise history to reach 70 points in 44 or fewer games.
Mikko Rantanen picked up an assist and has collected a point in eight straight outings, collecting 12 points (4g/8a) in that span.
The Avs became the second team (Vancouver Canucks) to boast three 50-point scorers this season in MacKinnon (23g/47a), Rantanen (22g/34a) and Makar (10g/41).
Alexandar Georgiev was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week prior to Monday’s contest. He went 3-0-0 and picked up a shutout against the Vegas Golden Knights last week.
HISTORY
The Avalanche/Nordiques own a 35-17-4-2 all-time record against the Senators. Colorado swept Ottawa last regular season, outscoring them 12-4 in the two contests. Ottawa was one of eight teams Colorado swept a regular season series against last season (Carolina, Columbus, Detroit, Montreal, Nashville, San Jose and Washington). The Avalanche won the first matchup this season 6-4 at Ball Arena on December 21. The team enters tonight 6-0-1 in the last seven head-to-head meetings with the Sens.
SHREDDING THE SHARKS
The Ottawa Senators were victorious 5-4 Saturday night at home against the San Jose Sharks. The Senators jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period when Claude Giroux and Thomas Chabot each found the back of the net. Anthony Duclair got the Sharks on the board with his eighth tally of the season. San Jose struck twice in the first seven minutes of the second period when Marc-Edouard Vlasic netted his first goal of the season, followed by Kevin Lebanc potting his second of the campaign. Ottawa responded with two goals of their own from Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson to take a 4-3 lead going into the second intermission. Filip Zadina tied the game at four with just over three minutes remaining in the third period. Vladimir Tarasenko put a loose puck into the back of the net with five seconds to go in the final frame to clinch the victory for the Senators.
STATS TO KNOW
MacKinnon tallied a season-high five points including a season-high four goals in the first contest against the Senators. It was the first four-goal game by an individual in Avalanche team history.
Alexandar Georgiev stopped 41-of-45 shots in the first Colorado-Ottawa matchup en route to his 16th win of the season.
Devon Toews has recorded 11 points (3g/8a) in 11 career games against the Senators.
SUPER SENS’
Brady Tkachuk paces the Senators with 18 goals this campaign. He is also second among all NHL skaters with 88 PIM.
Jacob Chychrun has recorded 26 points (7g/19a) in 38 games. He is on pace for his most amount of points in a season since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season as a member of the Coyotes (18g/23a in 56 GP).
The Ottawa Senators rank 10th among all teams in goals for per game with 3.32.
NUMBERS GAME
5
Rantanen ranks tied for the fifth-most game-winning goals among NHL skaters this season with five.
41
MacKinnon leads the NHL in even strength points this campaign with 41.
24:56
Makar has the eight-highest TOI/GP in the NHL recording an average of 24:56 TOI per game.
QUOTE(S) THAT LEFT A MARK
“After a loss it’s better to play right away. That way you don’t mumble around with the result. We want to watch some video and learn tomorrow morning and go at it again tomorrow night.”
- Colorado RW Mikko Rantanen on playing back-to-back nights
