The Vancouver Canucks are out of California and into Colorado as they wrap up their four-game road trip with a battle against the league-leading Avalanche.
Tuesday’s game will be the second matchup of the season between the Canucks and the Avalanche. The Avs took that game 5-4 in overtime on November 9th at Rogers Arena.
The Canucks pushed the Avs in their one and only meeting of the season, but know that taking on the best team in the NHL presents a difficult challenge. The much-needed practice time on Monday helped, and Foote discussed what he wants to see from his group on Tuesday night.
“They’re a fast team. We have to be good in the neutral zone. I thought we were pretty good on our reloads against LA. We have to be more sharp against Colorado, [they are a] fast team,” said Foote.
“They expose you if you’re not good in the neutral zone and entering your zone. So, we’re well aware of it, and we’ll be discussing it more tomorrow morning.”
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Avs sit atop the league’s standings with an 18-1-6 record. They are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games and 10-0-2 on home ice.
- They lead the league in goals for (103) and have given up the fewest goals against (55).
- Nathan MacKinnon leads the league with 44 points this season. He is also the only player in the league with 20 goals.
- Scott Wedgewood has started 18 games between the pipes and has a 13-1-3 record with a .920% save percentage, a 2.08 goals-against average, and one shutout.
- Mackenzie Blackwood has made six starts this season and has two shutouts through those first six starts.
- The Avs are 15-0-0 when leading at the second intermission.
- They are 13-1-3 when scoring the first goal of the game.
- Their best period of the season has been the third; they have outscored their opponents 38-10 in the final regulation frame through 25 games.
The Story: Colorado Prep
Head Coach Adam Foote met with the media following Monday’s practice. He spoke about having Nils Höglander return to the group for the first time since sustaining an injury in the preseason.
“He’s a great person, and it’s nice to see him back. He had a good emotion out here today. It looked like he was good, happy to be back, and it’s good for morale. We [have] had a lot of injuries, so seeing how he’s getting close is a good thing,” said Foote.
