The Colorado Avalanche are firmly focused on winning now, while the Chicago Blackhawks are looking to the future.
Colorado made a flurry of moves over the past 10 days to strengthen its lineup for a playoff run, and the early results are positive. The Avs have won five straight to begin their six-game homestand and will try to sweep it when they face Chicago on Monday night in Denver.
Colorado acquired centers Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle at the trade deadline less than a week after dealing for defenseman Ryan Lindgren and forward Jimmy Vesey. Nelson, Coyle and Lindgren all contributed an assist in a 7-4 win over Toronto on Saturday night.
Those additions supplement an already potent lineup led by Nathan MacKinnon, who was the first player in the league to reach 100 points this season with two goals against the Maple Leafs.
“He continues to impress me,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “When I first came here, he was battling to hit 100 points. He’s grown a lot as a player, as a leader, the consistency, the way he’s dangerous every time he touches the ice.”
MacKinnon has 27 goals, and his 73 assists are also the most in the NHL. Cale Makar is the top scoring defenseman with 75 points (24 goals, 51 assists), Artturi Lehkonen has 40 points (26 goals, 14 assists) and Valeri Nichushkin’s hat trick on Saturday gave him 15 goals in just 26 games this season.
Following Monday night, Colorado will play five of its next six on the road, all but one against teams currently in a postseason spot.
The Blackhawks won’t make the playoffs this season, but have tried to build for the future. They recalled defenseman Artyom Levshunov, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, ahead of Monday’s game, which means they will have two 19-year-olds in the lineup. Connor Bedard, the team’s leading scorer, is the other teenager and the No. 1 overall pick in 2023.
“We’re all just playing for each other,” said defenseman Alex Vlasic, who is 23. “Having the young guys here has helped bring that energy. It feels like a different environment.”
Bedard has 52 points (17 goals, 35 assists), Teuvo Teravainen is second with 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists) and Ryan Donato leads Chicago with 23 goals to go along with 25 assists.
The Blackhawks, who are 3-0-2 in their last five games, were sellers at the trade deadline, sending defenseman Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick.
Knight, 23, has won his first two starts since coming to Chicago and got praise from fellow netminder Arvid Soderblom for his puck handling.
“He’s good at that,” Soderblom said of his new teammate. “He’s taking his time; he’s looking where the options are. That’s the fun thing with a new guy coming in: You can pick up small details and put them in your own game.”
Chicago has just 20 wins this season but two have come against the Avalanche, and it has a chance to win the season series on Monday night.
–Field Level Media
