Montreal Canadiens (13-7-3) @ Colorado Avalanche (17-1-6)

1 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

In the second game of its Heritage Series, the Avalanche, donning its Quebec Nordiques Heritage Jerseys, will face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. This nod to Quebec’s provincial rivalry is the first of two regular-season matchups between the Avs and Canadiens, as they’ll meet in Montreal on January 29th.

Latest Result (COL): COL 2, MIN 3 (SO)

Latest Result (MTL): MTL 4, VGK 1

Defeat on the Road

The Avalanche lost 3-2 to the Minnesota Wild in a shootout at Grand Casino Arena on Friday. Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog scored Colorado’s goals while Scott Wedgewood made 35 saves. The Avs opened the scoring when MacKinnon tallied his 19th goal of the season at 14:54 of the first period via a one-timer from the doorstep set up by Artturi Lehkonen, who won a board battle before sending a backhand feed to MacKinnon. Kirill Kaprizov tied the game for Minnesota at 12 minutes of the second period when Wild defenseman Zeev Buium’s centering pass deflected off his skate from the slot. That goal ended the Avalanche’s franchise-record shutout streak of 221:42. At 18:03 of the middle frame, Kaprizov gave the Wild a 2-1 lead with a one-timer from the slot. To end a shift that saw him get knocked down after taking a high stick to the face, Landeskog tied the game at 11:08 of the third period. Landeskog tallied his third goal of the season from the right doorstep after he won a puck battle against Wild blueliner Brock Faber and received MacKinnon’s backhand feed. In the first round of the shootout, Mats Zuccarello scored for Minnesota before Necas scored for Colorado. After a scoreless second round, Minnesota’s Matt Boldy scored the game-winning goal in the third round.

Leading the Way
Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (19) and points (41) while being tied for second in assists (22).

All Hail Cale

Cale Makar leads NHL blueliners in points (31), is tied for first in assists (22) and ranks second in goals (9). Among NHL skaters, he’s tied for second in assists and tied for fifth in points.

Marty Party

Necas is tied for ninth in the NHL in points (30).

Series History

In 154 previous regular-season games against the Canadiens, the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise has a record of 64-74-16. The franchises have met five times in the playoffs, including the 1985 Adams Division Finals, when the Nordiques defeated the Canadiens in seven games.

Victory in Vegas

The Canadiens defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 at T-Mobile Arena on Friday. Montreal’s Zack Bolduc opened the scoring at 14:30 of the first period and Cole Caufield doubled the Canadiens’ lead at 2:04 of the middle frame. Jake Evans gave the Canadiens a 3-0 lead at 3:36 of the third period before Mark Stone put the Golden Knights on the board at 15:16 of the final regulation frame. At 18:03 of the third period, Juraj Slafkovsky gave Montreal a 4-1 lead with an empty-net goal.

Contributors Against the Canadiens

MacKinnon has posted 17 points (7g/10a) in 19 games against the Canadiens.

In nine contests against Montreal, Makar has recorded 10 points (2g/8a).

Lehkonen has registered five points (3g/2a) in five games against the Canadiens, his former team.

Les Habitants’ Leaders

Nick Suzuki leads the Canadiens in points (27) and assists (20) while being tied for second in goals (7).

Caufield leads Montreal in goals (14), ranks second in points (25) and is tied for fifth in assists (11).

Lane Hutson is second on the Canadiens in assists (16) and third in points (19).

A Numbers Game
2.08

Colorado has allowed a league-fewest 2.08 goals per game.

23

Makar’s 23 even-strength points lead NHL defensemen and are tied for the fourth most among all skaters.

.750

The Avalanche has posted a .750 points percentage in the second game of a back-to-back this season.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Really good. I [was] kind of surprised, all of a sudden, I turned around, [and] the puck was on my stick and he had found me really nicely backdoor. I was able to stick with [the puck] and find a second opportunity on it and put it in. So it felt good.”

— Gabriel Landeskog on his goal and the feed he received from Nathan MacKinnon leading up to it