Game Preview: Avs Host 'Hawks in Home Opener
Colorado looks to continue strong start with first home game of 2023-24
It’s here! Hockey at Ball Arena that actually matters!Â
For the first time since last year’s Game 7 disappointment against the Kraken, the Colorado Avalanche will take to their home ice with a full roster of NHL players.
The Avs welcome in Connor Bedard and a few other people who I’m told also play for the Chicago Blackhawks. Because the Worldwide Leader has the game tonight, it will start at the ungodly hour of 8:30 p.m. MT (10:30 for me… soooooo nap time after work tonight)!
Fresh off three victories in as many outings in the season-opening road swing, the Avalanche begin their home slate for the 2023-24 season tonight. Here are some facts and figures to get you ready for a late night of hockey at ‘The Can!’ ( or is it ‘The Aluminum Cup now?)
GAME NOTES:
Since moving to Denver ahead of the 1995-96 season, tonight will mark the fifth time these two have matched up in the Avs’ home opener, including the third straight year. Colorado is currently 4-0 in those previous contests vs. Chicago: 5-0 in 2003, 4-3 (OT) in 2010, 4-2 in 2021 and 5-2 last year after the Blink-182 sing-a-long concluded.Â
The Avalanche are 18-7-2 in all home openers in that time.Â
Colorado is one of just four teams without a loss of any kind this season. At 3-0-0, the Avs are only back of Vegas (4-0-0), while ahead of Boston (2-0-0) and the very exciting-to-watch Islanders (2-0-0). Dallas and St. Louis are both 1-0-1 to round out the six total teams without a regulation loss. All of that is very important to note a week into the season as no team has ever gone undefeated across an 82-game slate (except my NHL 22 season played on rookie mode).
Early on, the penalty kill has been outstanding. The Avalanche have killed off all 13 penalties against them this season, tied with Seattle for the most of any of the eight teams with a perfect 100% penalty kill rate thus far.
Of those eight teams with an unblemished PK, only Colorado, Calgary and Chicago have a shorthanded goal. Of those three shorthanded goals by perfect PK units, only Logan O’Connor’s tally in Seattle on Tuesday was also the game-winner. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you dig up stats!
At this point, we all know Cale Makar is like… really good at hockey. It still is a smidge jarring when you see his numbers compared — and even surpassing — legends like Bobby Orr. The 250th career point mark that has been the point of discussion the last few days is somewhat of a made-up stat as it seems like kind of an arbitrary figure. However, to pinpoint that number and then show just how quickly Makar has reached it when compared to other puck-moving, offensively driven blueliners (and Hall of Famers) in the past, you have to realize that we are blessed to watch such a talent play for our team on a nightly basis.Â
The other stat of note that has been shown since Tuesday night’s win is the 14-game road win streak in regular season games dating back to last year. The Avs finished last season on an 11-game road heater before heading into the playoffs where it lost just one road game to Seattle (Game 4 in OT). Colorado’s most recent regular-season road defeat was March 3 in that horrible Saturday matinee in Dallas on national TV. The Stars won 7-3 in a game I will remember most for Mikko Rantanen showing two fans behind the penalty box what finger he wore his Stanley Cup ring on.
The 14 straight road victories tied the Buffalo Sabres (2005-06 into 2006-07) for the NHL’s longest such streak in league history. They can sit alone atop the record books with a win on Long Island on Tuesday night.Â
That doesn’t matter, because tonight is the HOME opener and road stats are meaningless in regards to tonight’s contest.Â
Speaking of home games, October features just two of them: tonight and Saturday vs. Cup favorite Carolina. I’ll be at a wedding for my wife’s cousin on Saturday night. He’s a big Bruins fan, so sitting at my table watching the game on my phone instead of crushing the dance floor like I usually do will be understood by the groom. And, let’s be honest, no one cares about the groom’s cousin’s husband… I might as well be invisible that night. Go Avs!
In November, on the other hand, 8-of-the-14 games played will be at Ball Arena, the second most home games of any month this season (December has nine).
Puck possession is always key. It’s the metric by which all new stats are usually based. Winning the draw is important to that. Colorado has not been good in that category thus far, ranking 27th in the league with a 44.2% success rate at the dot.Â
As bad as the Avs have been on the draw this year, newly acquired Ryan Johansson has been outstanding. Through three games, RyJo has 40-of-Colorado's-48 faceoff wins… that’s incredible. Every other forward on the team has combined to win eight faceoffs in three games?! Is that real? That doesn’t seem real! His 40 draws won this season rank sixth in the league, while his 58% winning percentage is the fourth best for any player with at least 65 draws taken.
Mikko is flying early in the season with three goals, five points and a shootout winner. He has always played well against the ‘Hawks with 28 points in 21 games (1.33 ppg) over his career and there is no sign that his hot start will cool down against a bad Blackhawks team.Â
PERSONAL OPINION: I expect this to be a breakout game for Nathan MacKinnon. Seattle held him in check on Tuesday. I can’t see his competitiveness allowing him to play a game like that again, especially with the arena buzzing for the home opener. I have to think he gets on the board against Chicago and makes a few big plays.Â
Alexandar Georgiev is going to continue to fly under the radar because of the players in front of him. That being said: he’s been great to start the year. And he has to be because of the lack of depth behind him with Pavel Francouz’s injuries placing him on long-term injured reserve.Â
Coming into tonight. Georgiev’s .958 save percentage is second in the league amongst netminders with multiple starts and fourth amongst all goalies. He trails only Jordan Binnington’s .969 (puke) in terms of those with multiple starts. His 1.30 goals-against average is the best in the league by any goalie with at least three starts. So all-in-all: pretty good for Georgie.
LOC referred to his goalie as the team’s best penalty killer and that is not wrong by any metric. He has stopped 21 shots faced with Colorado killing off a penalty, second best only to the Flames’ Jacob Markstrom (23) without allowing a goal against.
Mikko’s goal in Seattle was the 11,000th in franchise history. I’m working on a project right now to rank all of them in terms of importance. It’s taking longer than I thought!
ESPN is smart to put this game on as it is marketing the hell out of Bedard vs. MacKinnon/Makar. But a 10:30 p.m. game on the East Coast isn't going to move the needle… but it’s at least a step in the right direction.
My prediction for tonight: Colorado 5, Chicago 2Â
So, Pat, when you finally slot the goal that ranks 10,999 (probably by Arnason), will it be called Goal Irrelevant?
The game is on ESPN, does that mean if you have Comcast you still can't watch it? . I looking forward to it, if not I will listen on the radio. Then, probably get fubo tv services! Excited about the Avalanche, their off to a good start but still need to take care of the puck, that is their consistent weakness. GO AVS!!!!