The Colorado Avalanche will take the ice against the Montréal Canadiens without Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, their two star players sidelined by injuries. MacKinnon will be out for about a month following a cross-check from Ottawa’s Artem Zub on November 12, while Makar faces a two-week absence due to an injury sustained during the same game.
The Avalanche suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday. Despite falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Colorado rallied with goals from Artturi Lehkonen on the power play and Parker Kelly’s shorthanded strike early in the third. Gabe Landeskog's power play goal put them ahead late in the game before Ottawa rallied to force overtime, where Shane Pinto scored the winner. Scott Wedgewood stopped 22 of 24 shots in goal.
MacKinnon left the game before intermission after the cross-check, while Makar did not finish the contest due to a separate injury that did not appear to result from a body check or a fall. Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed the extent of their injuries on Friday morning, announcing MacKinnon’s absence for the next month and Makar’s for two weeks. In response, the Avalanche recalled forward Gavin Brindley from Loveland and will debut defenseman Alex Gagne. Brent Burns is set to play his 1600th NHL game, while Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to start in goal.
Bednar praised his team’s effort in the Thursday game despite missing their top players. “I liked our effort all around,” he said. “It’s a good hockey team we played. If you’re running without a couple of horses, you know, for half the game, so, pretty gutsy effort from our group. I’ll take it. I mean, we weren’t perfect. We made some mistakes; they cost us, but all in all, I’m pretty happy with what we did. It’s a big point.”
The Avalanche have collected three points from four possible during their current Canadian road trip. Their scheduled game against the Canadiens at the Bell Center is the final stop. Last season, Colorado split its series against Montréal but lost their last visit 7-3 while wearing their Quebec Nordiques heritage jerseys, which they will not wear tonight.
MacKinnon leads the team with 30 points, including 20 assists. Defenseman Devon Toews is Colorado’s top goal-scoring blueliner with seven goals this season. A victory tonight could move Blackwood into a tie for second place in NHL wins, with 11.
Montréal, which shares the Atlantic Division lead with Tampa Bay, has won three of its last four games, most recently a 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday. The Canadiens made several key moves during the offseason, locking down right wing Ivan Demidov to an eight-year, $73.2 million extension and goaltender Jakub Dobeš to a three-year contract worth over $16 million. They also signed Chris Kreider to a one-year deal and Zachary Bolduc to a four-year contract. Former Avalanche forward Alex Newhook secured a four-year extension in September.
The Canadiens aim to build on last year’s deep playoff run, which ended in the Eastern Conference Final against the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. However, they face their own injury concerns as the season progresses.
Projected Avalanche lineup for tonight shows Lehkonen, Brock Nelson, and Martin Nečas up front; Gabe Landeskog, Nicolas Roy, and T.J. Hughes on the second line; Jaden Schwartz, Nazem Kadri, and Logan O’Connor on the third; with Parker Kelly, Fedor Svechkov, and Gavin Brindley rounding out the forwards. On defense, Devon Toews pairs with Brett Kulak, Noah Juulsen with Sam Malinski, and Alex Gagne with Brent Burns.
The Avalanche will face a Canadiens squad determined to maintain their strong start, despite the challenges Colorado faces without two of their top stars.
According to Yahoo Sports.
