It’s a battle of the top teams in the Western Conference as the Ducks (11-3-1) head to Colorado to take on the Avalanche (10-1-5). Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. PT and will air on TNT.
Anaheim extended its win streak to seven games and remains atop the Pacific Division after beating the Winnipeg Jets, 4-1, on Sunday night.
“We’ve got some of our young guys who are playing to the next level that you want to see them get to,” said Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville of the team’s recent success. “We have balance in our lineup. We feel we have an active back end that helps as well. Goaltending’s been solid so we like all aspects of our game, but we still think that we have to get better as we go along here.”
The four goals in the win were split by Leo Carlsson and Beckett Sennecke. Carlsson extended his active point streak to 10 games and currently leads his team with 25 points. His stellar play as of late earned him Third Star of the Week honors by the NHL.
“Leo, again, he’s having a great week and a great start to the season,” said Quenneville. “He’s been doing some things that are very special and fun to watch.”
The Avs, who lead the Western Conference, are on a win streak of their own with three consecutive victories heading into this matchup. Most recently, they beat the Canucks, 5-4, in overtime. Nathan MacKinnon, who earned First Star of the Week honors, has 14 goals and 29 points on the season thus far. Over the last 10 games, Cale Makar has notched four goals and 11 assists.
Avs head coach Jared Bednar called the Ducks a “dangerous offensive team” and discussed what’s made them so impactful to start the season. “Even if it’s not in the number of chances they’re getting, they are finishing everything off,” Bednar said. “They get a chance in the back of the net. Really good work ethic, playing at a high pace; deep roster with a lot of young kids who are coming into their own. Highly talented. They’ve been good on both sides of it, both defensively and offensively, especially at finishing off their chances, they’ve been really good.”
Though it’s early in the season and this is just the first meeting between these two teams, those on the Ducks are fully aware of what a win would mean for them moving forward. “It’ll be a good challenge for us,” said Sennecke. “We knew that our schedule had a bunch of tough teams in a row here, and I think we’re proving why we’re an established team.” “We just went through a real tough stretch of teams but today’s going to be a different test,” added Quenneville. “[The Avalanche] are playing well. They play with pace that we like to play with … I know it’s a long season and it’s early in the year, but at some point, these two points could matter down the road so let’s treat it like it’s valuable.”
