Saturday night, primetime hockey against a Canadian team—truly, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Tonight, the Colorado Avalanche will go toe-to-toe with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers as they square off at Rogers Place.
Patrik Czepiec (@CzepiecPatrik) on XSoudě dle oslavy, Martin Nečas 🇨🇿 se s Nathanem MacKinnonem už docela kamarádí 👐
Vítězný gól Čecha na 5:4 proti Oilers 🚨
Zvíře Nathan 1+3 👀Colorado Avalanche
MacKenzie Blackwood, who made his season debut last Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, is the presumed starter for the game. Earlier in the week, Jared Bednar acknowledged that the netminder was still working through some rust but noted that a full week of practice should help him regain his timing and sharpness.
“He missed most of training camp; he’s been working kind of on his own and lacking team practice time at this point, so that’s why I think this week will be very good for him, practice yesterday; he got some work in today, we’re practicing again tomorrow and Friday, so it’s the most practices we’ve had all year, so I think that will help him get sort of used to game situations and he’ll be ready to go for the weekend," Bednar stated on Tuesday.
The Avs held an optional skate Wednesday and a full practice Friday before heading north, giving Blackwood ample opportunity to settle in. If he showed enough progress, he should get the start; if questions remain, Bednar may opt for a split with Scott Wedgewood as Colorado navigates a back-to-back that concludes Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks. They've already played one back-to-back this season, dropping both in overtime to the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, respectively, leaving them 0-0-2 on the season.
As reported Friday, Samuel Girard did not travel with the team as he continues to manage an upper-body injury. However, according to the Family Sports Center schedule, an Avs injured skate is set from 3:05 to 4:05 p.m. Participants could include Girard, Joel Kiviranta—who has just resumed skating following a lower-body injury—and Logan O’Connor.
The Avalanche met the Oilers three times last season, dropping two of those contests, though each loss came under very different circumstances. In the first matchup, on November 30, Alexandar Georgiev was still in goal, while the second, on January 16, featured Mikko Rantanen on the roster. Their lone victory came in the third meeting, following the Rantanen trade that brought Martin Necas and Jack Drury over from the Carolina Hurricanes. While the Avs now have Blackwood and Wedgewood, the Oilers, in the meanwhile, haven’t made any changes in net with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard manning the pipes, and some of their more solid defensive pieces from last season are no longer with the club.
Nathan MacKinnon leads the team in goals (10) and points (20), while his 10 assists rank second to Cale Makar’s 14 for the team high.
On a positive note regarding injuries, Gavin Brindley informed The Hockey News—in the elevator just before puck drop for the Lightning–Avalanche matchup—that he had cleared concussion protocol and is expected to play this weekend. Brindley had missed time following a collision with Ivan Barbashev during the October 31 game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 21-year-old Brindley suffered a concussion, but his symptoms were relatively minor.
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton enters this contest with a 6-5-3 record, a mark that falls short of the dominance the franchise has historically exhibited. The team remains heavily top-loaded, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl accounting for a combined 14 goals and 21 assists—38 points in total—so far this season. Yet, the potency of these two superstars cannot be understated; they remain capable of striking at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, the Avalanche, despite boasting the NHL’s best record, have shown a vulnerability to conceding quick goals, whether due to defensive lapses or loose pucks. In a matchup of this caliber, anything can happen.
Who’s Deeper?
There is little doubt that the Avalanche boast greater depth. Edmonton has only three players with at least 12 points this season. We already know about McDavid and Draisaitl, but the third is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. In contrast, Colorado can count five players in that category: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Cale Makar, Victor Olofsson, and Artturi Lehkonen.
Ultimately, the outcome may hinge less on star power than on execution and the ability to minimize mistakes.
Showtime
Avalanche vs. Oilers goes down at 8 p.m. local time and will be televised on ESPN. Don’t miss the action.
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