Avalanche Game 33 at Vancouver Canucks, Hughes vs Makar! Lines, Notes, & How to Watch

The Colorado Avalanche (18-14-0) begin a three-game road trip on Monday with the first of three meetings this season against the Vancouver Canucks (15-9-5). Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MT.

READ MORE: With Goaltending Settled, What’s the Next Move for the Avalanche?

The Avalanche are coming off a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at Ball Arena in Mackenzie Blackwood’s debut with the team. Blackwood stopped 37-of-39 shots and was less than seven minutes away from blanking the Preds. His solid performance earned him first-star honors and another start. Blackwood, acquired a week ago today, is set to make his road debut against Thatcher Demko.

After posting a league-leading four goals and five assists in just three games, Nathan MacKinnon earned second Star of the Week honors. All of MacKinnon’s nine points came at even strength, which on the one hand is great. But on the other hand, is a sign that Colorado’s struggling power play has gone on for far too long. The Avs hope to fix this against the Canucks.

MacKinnon’s week is all the more impressive when you take into account that the team scored 12 total goals in those three games. He leads the NHL with 50 points — three more than second place, Minnesota’s Kirill Karpizov. MacKinnon’s teammate Mikko Rantanen is tied with Nikita Kucherov in third place with 46 points. Rantanen also had nine points last week.

Saturday’s victory brought the Avs back to .500 at home, an 8-8 record. But on the road, Colorado is 10-6-0 and is riding a three-game winning streak while outscoring the opposition 12-3. Alternatively, the Canucks are one of the best road teams in the league, boasting an insanely good 10-2-1 record. But at Rogers Arena, they are a lowly 5-7-4 and are coming off their worst loss yet — a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

Vancouver is 2-2-1 during a six-game homestand which ends against the Avs.

Quinn Hughes leads the Canucks in scoring with 34 points in 27 games. The only defenseman with more points than him in the entire NHL? You guessed it: Cale Makar. The Avalanche’s top blueliner has 37 points, albeit in 32 games. The duo are neck and neck in points per game and pace the rest of the league.

Season Series

• Dec. 14 at Vancouver Canucks
• Feb. 4 at Vancouver Canucks
• April 10 vs Vancouver Canucks

Avalanche Injuries

• Josh Manson (upper body, week-to-week)
• Oliver Kylington (upper body, week-to-week)
• Miles Wood (upper body, LTIR)
• Jonathan Drouin (upper body, week-to-week)
• Gabriel Landeskog (knee, no timetable)

READ MORE: 10 Observations: Avalanche Bounce Back in Blackwood’s Debut (+)

Projected Avalanche Lines (subject to change)

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Ross Colton — Casey Mittelstadt — Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta – Parker Kelly – Logan O’Connor
Tye Felhaber — Ivan Ivan — Chris Wagner

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton — Calvin de Haan

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Projected Starters (subject to change)

• Confirmed: Mackenzie Blackwood (COL)
• Confirmed: Thatcher Demko (VAN)

Upcoming Milestones

• Mikko Rantanen — needs 3 PPG for 100
• Nathan MacKinnon — needs 4 PPG for 100
• Cale Makar — needs 5 goals for 100
• Logan O’Connor — needs 5 games for 300
• Chris Wagner — needs 6 games for 400
• Devon Toews — needs 6 assists for 200

How to Watch

• TV: Altitude Sports
• Radio: 92.5 FM