The Colorado Avalanche will host the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at Ball Arena for their 11th game of the season. Tampa Bay looks fresh and focused, while the Avalanche have struggled lately to live up to their potential and meet expectations. Tampa, with seven wins in its first nine games, is confident, while Colorado is licking its wounds after two disappointing defeats.

We’ve heard a lot from Jared Bednar this week about leaving the 11-7 approach, with Logan O’Connor’s welcome return this evening and a call-up for Taylor Makar. Both players are making their 2026-27 regular-season debut, with Makar registering his 13th NHL game. It will be a fun night for the Makar family as they watch brothers Taylor and Cale work toward a victory for the same side.

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar caught a bit of heat after a couple of losses, as some graphics ranked them among Colorado’s worst skaters by metrics.

Jared Bednar mentioned, “I think he is. I don’t know if it was the Dallas and Pittsburgh; you know, he looked like he was tired,” when asked if Nathan MacKinnon was “okay” by Altitude’s Vic Lombardi. “We did all the same things, like giving them the rest and recovery time they need to be ready to go,” he continued, “but sometimes it’s just not enough.” Let’s see if MacKinnon finds more jump tonight.

Cale Makar, on the other hand, is, as we know, a new father of twins, and that comes with late nights and early mornings. Trust me.

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

As mentioned in the intro, the Jon Cooper-led Lightning are cruising into the new season. Tonight marks their 10th game, and they will have a 70% win rate at worst after this evening. Nikita Kucherov is on a hot streak, logging his 1,137th point with Tampa and tying former teammate Steven Stamkos for most points in franchise history.

Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the net for Tampa. The 13-year pro from Tyumen, Russia, has allowed 12 goals on 121 shots in his last 5 starts. Vassy has a 7-5-1 record against the Avalanche, allowing 35 goals in 13 matchups.

Jon Cooper confirmed that forward Anthony Cirelli will return to the lineup, bolstering the Lightning’s top six.

Andrei Vasilevskiy
Dennis Hildeby

NOTE: Don’t forget to download the new SB Nation app for a more mobile-friendly way to follow tonight’s action and engage with Mile High Hockey’s match threads. The Game Chat feature makes commenting and interacting with your communities easier than ever. The app is currently available in the U.S. and Canada on iOS and Android devices.