NHL: Avalanche look to build momentum vs. Sharks before Olympic break

A month ago, the Colorado Avalanche were chasing NHL history as one of the league’s best regular-season teams. But with one game remaining before the Olympic break, the Avalanche are struggling and feeling pressure in the standings.

Colorado has gone 3-5-2 in its last 10 games and is coming off its first scoreless outing of the season. Still, the team has a chance to enter the hiatus with some momentum when it hosts the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.

The Avalanche remain atop the league with 81 points, but second- and third-place teams in their division—Minnesota and Dallas—have been closing the gap. The Wild have 76 points and the Stars 75, with each team riding recent winning streaks of four and five games, respectively.

Injuries have taken a toll, but the Avalanche received a boost when defenseman Devon Toews returned from a 12-game absence in Monday night’s 2-0 loss to Detroit. Forward Martin Necas is also expected to return Wednesday after missing two games with an upper-body injury.

Necas ranks second on the team with 62 points (22 goals, 40 assists), trailing only Nathan MacKinnon, who leads Colorado with 91 points (40 goals, 51 assists). MacKinnon tops the NHL in goals and is second in overall points.

Colorado has also been buoyed by goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood’s strong play. Blackwood allowed only one goal while making 51 saves on 52 shots in two games against the Red Wings.

“He’s stringing together some nice games here,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s getting back in the swing of things… He’s given us a chance to win every night.”

The Avalanche face Blackwood’s former team Wednesday, led by 19-year-old center Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini ranks fourth in the NHL with 81 points (28 goals, 53 assists) and has recorded four goals and five assists over his last five games.

San Jose has struggled recently, losing its last three games and four of its last six. Wednesday’s matchup concludes a five-game road trip and the final of three meetings with Colorado this season. The Sharks won in overtime on Nov. 1 but were routed 6-0 in the rematch on Nov. 26.

San Jose will be without enforcer Ryan Reaves, who was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Forward Kiefer Sherwood is expected to fill the roster spot and make his Sharks debut. Sherwood, acquired from Vancouver two weeks ago, has not played since Jan. 10. He played 27 games for the Avalanche between 2020 and 2022 and has 17 goals and six assists this season, two goals shy of matching his career high.

Currently outside the playoff picture in the competitive Western Conference, every point matters for San Jose.

“We’ve got one game left until the [Olympics] break,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We’ve got to really zero in on the things we need to do that have made us have success up to this point.”

—Field Level Media/Reuters