With the Colorado Avalanche pushing to extend their Central Division lead, all eyes are on whether Gabriel Landeskog could make his long-awaited return against the Washington Capitals.
The Colorado Avalanche are playoff-bound for the ninth straight season—and they’re not slowing down.
Colorado wraps up its final Eastern Conference road swing Sunday with a late-morning matchup in Washington, taking on the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. With the Central Division lead tightening, every point matters.
Colorado Avalanche (45-13-10) at Washington Capitals (35-27-8) Time: 10:30 A.M. MDT / 12:30 P.M. EDT TV: ALT, ALT+, MNMT, NHL Network, SN1, TVAS
Avalanche Riding Momentum, Eyeing Separation
Colorado opened the trip with a convincing 4-1 win over Chicago, powered by goals from Martin Nečas, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Valeri Nichushkin. Nathan MacKinnon continues to drive the offense, posting three assists and pushing his Art Ross chase to 114 points—just behind Connor McDavid (116) and Nikita Kucherov (118).
The victory snapped a brief skid and pushed Colorado past the 100-point mark—first in the NHL to do so this season. They hold a three-point edge over Dallas with a game in hand; a win today would stretch that cushion.
In net, Mackenzie Blackwood is the likely starter after a 19-save effort Friday, though Scott Wedgewood (2.19 GAA, .916 SV%) remains a strong option for the back half of the trip.
Capitals Hanging On, But Running Out of Time
Washington enters the matchup fighting uphill in the Eastern Conference playoff race, sitting six points out of a wild card spot. Since the trade deadline—where they moved key pieces like John Carlson and Nic Dowd—they’ve stayed competitive (4-2-1) but lack margin for error.
The offense is led by an unexpected duo: Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin share the team lead with 25 goals and 52 points. Jakob Chychrun continues to anchor the blue line with 51 points, while rookie Cole Hutson made an immediate impression with a goal in his NHL debut.
Between the pipes, Logan Thompson (2.36 GAA, .915 SV%) is expected to start.
Colorado took the first meeting 5-2 back in January, led by a two-goal night from MacKinnon. This is the final clash between the teams this season—and one with far more urgency on Washington’s side.
Projected Lineups (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Colorado Avalanche
Forwards
Valeri Nichushkin – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Nazem Kadri – Brock Nelson – Nicolas Roy
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley
Joel Kiviranta – Parker Kelly – Zakhar Bardakov
Notes
Captain Gabe Landeskog could be back for today's game, so keep an eye on further updates.
Defense
Brett Kulak – Cale Makar
Devon Toews – Sam Malinski
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Goaltenders
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Washington Capitals
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Anthony Beauvillier
Aliaksei Protas – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael – Justin Sourdif – Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime – Hendrix Lapierre – Ethen Frank
Defense
Martin Fehérváry – Rasmus Sandin
Jakob Chychrun – Trevor van Reimsdyk
Cole Hutson – Matt Roy
Goaltenders
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Colorado has already checked the first box—clinching a playoff spot. Now, it’s about tightening their grip on the Central and entering April with momentum. Washington, meanwhile, is playing for survival.
Today's game starts at 10:30 a.m. local time in Colorado and 12:30 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.
