The Colorado Avalanche have the longest winning streak in the NHL this season and they will try to add to that Wednesday night when they host the San Jose Sharks.
Colorado has reeled off nine straight wins and is 11-0-1 in its last 12 games to move to the top of the NHL in points (37). The last team to beat the Avalanche was Wednesday night’s opponent — a 3-2 overtime win for San Jose on Nov. 1.
Since then, Colorado has outscored opponents 41-15 and has posted two shutouts over the past weekend, the first time in franchise history that it has happened on consecutive days. The Avalanche have just one regulation loss in 22 games and have two goaltenders worthy of No. 1 status.
Scott Wedgewood carried the load early while Mackenzie Blackwood recovered from offseason surgery and is 13-1-2 in 17 starts. Wedgewood leads the NHL in wins, is third in goals-against average (2.09) and fourth in save percentage (.918).
Blackwood, who made his season debut at San Jose, is rounding into form after stopping all 35 shots at Nashville on Saturday.
“I’m trying and struggling to find my game with limited touches, but that’s the way it goes sometimes,” Blackwood said. “Scotty’s been playing amazing, so he’s earned the right to play, and you have to find the chances that you get and take advantage of the opportunities.”
Colorado also has the NHL leader in points, Nathan MacKinnon (17 goals, 20 assists) and the top scoring defenseman in Cale Makar (nine goals, 20 assists). Marin Necas is third on the team with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists).
The Avalanche are starting to get players back from injury, too. Valeri Nichushkin, who hasn’t played since Nov. 11, is skating again and Joel Kiviranta, who has missed the last 17 games with a lower-body injury, is ready to play.
The Sharks have their own superstar in 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who is in the top three in scoring in the league with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists). One of those goals came in the 3-2 win over Colorado on Nov. 1.
Will Smith is second on San Jose in scoring with 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) and William Eklund’s 14 points (five goals, nine assists) are third.
The Sharks have recovered from an 0-4-2 start to the season, going 11-5-1 over their last 17 games, but their young lineup is still learning. San Jose is coming off a successful homestand (3-1-0) before facing the NHL’s top team.
“I think we know what our game looks like. It’s just being stubborn with it, at times,” said head coach Ryan Warsofsky after Sunday’s win over Boston. “I think that’s something that we’re learning.
“We do have some younger guys who are continuing to learn in different situations. We have some guys that continue to work on — whether they’re third-year guys, fifth-year guys, 10-year guys — how we have to play to have success. Sometimes it’s not the prettiest play, the sexiest play, but it’s the right play, and that usually comes down to how hard we are competing.”
