Game Preview: Avalanche Eye Another Statement Win Against Senators

The Avalanche are back on the road Thursday night, taking on the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre after picking up a 6-3 win over Toronto earlier this week.

Gabriel Landeskog scored twice, while Brock Nelson, Devon Toews, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas also scored. 13 Avalanche players recorded at least one point, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 28 saves on 31 shots.

Colorado has been getting production throughout the lineup, with 13 players recording a point in Tuesday’s win. They’ll face a Senators team coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Washington. Ottawa held a 2-1 lead in that game before Pierre-Luc Dubois tied it in the third period and Cole Hutson scored the winner in overtime.

The Senators beat Colorado 5-2 the last time these teams met, back on January 28 in Ottawa. That result was one of the exceptions in a matchup the Avalanche have generally controlled. Colorado has won seven of the last eight meetings, outscoring Ottawa 45-24 over that stretch.

Nathan MacKinnon has been particularly productive against the Senators, with seven goals in his last eight games against them. That includes the four-goal performance in Colorado’s 6-4 win on December 21, 2023. Cale Makar has 16 points in 11 career games against Ottawa, while Artturi Lehkonen has 20 points in 28 games. Lehkonen also leads the Avalanche with 13 goals this season.

Ottawa has some players capable of making things difficult, too. Tim Stutzle leads the Senators with 23 points and 14 assists, and his nine goals are tied with Drake Batherson for the team lead. Batherson has 18 points, while Shane Pinto is next with 14 points and seven goals.

Scott Wedgewood will start for Colorado. He’s had success against Ottawa over his career, going 5-1-0 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in seven appearances. His numbers this season haven’t been nearly as good, though. Wedgewood is 1-3-1 with a 4.02 goals-against average and an .867 save percentage. Mackenzie Blackwood has taken on more of the workload, leaving Wedgewood in a different role than he had a season ago.

Linus Ullmark is set to return for Ottawa, making his first appearance since October 21. He was off to a strong start before the injury, going 7-1 with a .945 save percentage. Ullmark has a 2-1-1 career record against Colorado, with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He hasn’t beaten the Avalanche in nearly four years.

The January meeting showed Ottawa can make Colorado pay when given the opportunity. The Avalanche have had the upper hand in this series, but they’ll be looking to avoid another result like that one as they continue their road trip.

Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. local time at Canadian Tire Centre.