Two stars may be missing when the Colorado Avalanche walk into Montreal on Saturday night, and that changes the look of an already sharp matchup.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both exited Colorado’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday with lower-body injuries, each leaving in the second period. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar didn’t offer an update on either player after the game, so their status remains up in the air for the Canadiens.
Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog tried to keep the focus on whoever is available.
"Obviously, they're two of the best players in the world, so you like to have them, no doubt," Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said of his star teammates after the game. "But I don't think it's any different, right? You just play with whoever you got, whoever's ready to go, whoever's healthy and up, they play. So, hope those guys will be just fine."
Even without them for part of the night, Colorado found a way to scrap for a point. Landeskog helped wipe out a two-goal deficit and scored the Avalanche’s third straight goal with 9:57 left in the third period. Ottawa answered late, though, with Drake Batherson tying it at 3:56 of regulation before Shane Pinto finished it off 2:08 into overtime with his second goal of the night.
Bednar came away encouraged by the response.
"I liked our effort all the way around. It's a good hockey team we played," Bednar said of his squad, which earned a point in its fourth consecutive game (2-0-2). "You're running without a couple of horses for half the game.
So, pretty gutsy effort from our group, I'll take it. I mean, we weren't perfect.
We made some mistakes, it cost us. But all in all, pretty happy with the game and what we did.
It's a big point."
Parker Kelly also scored for Colorado, though his giveaway set up Pinto’s winner. Artturi Lehkonen added his team-leading 14th goal of the season.
Montreal, meanwhile, arrives with momentum and plenty of it after a 5-2 road win over Boston on Thursday. The Canadiens built a 5-0 lead and rolled to the finish, stretching their point streak to 12 games at 9-0-3 and moving into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Rookie goalie Jacob Fowler has been a major reason for the surge. He stopped 30 shots against the Bruins and is now 9-1-2 this season with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.
"He's phenomenal, I think we're running out of words to describe him," Kirby Dach, who scored the game's opening goal, said of the young goaltender. "He's great. He's our rock.
He makes the game pretty easy for us and calms us down when things aren't going our way. He makes a lot of big saves at key moments throughout the game, and we're able to turn those into offense."
Cole Caufield also scored Thursday and will try to keep his Saturday success rolling. The Canadiens’ leading goal scorer has 17 goals in his past 16 Saturday games dating to Jan. 24.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Brutal Test With MacKinnon Sidelined
The Avalanche are suddenly staring at a stretch they would rather not have to navigate, with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both expected to be out for some time after injuries suffered against the Ottawa Senators. For a team built around elite pace and high-end skill, losing two of its most important players at once changes the look of everything, from the top line to the power play and the overall margin for error.
It puts extra pressure on the rest of the roster to hold the line while Colorado waits for its stars to get healthy again. The timing is especially awkward because the Avalanche have been leaning on their core to drive results, and now they have to find a way to stay afloat without two players who shape so much of what they do. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Showed One Encouraging Sign In A Frustrating Overtime Loss
The Avalanche left Canadian Tire Centre with a frustrating 4-3 overtime loss to the Senators, but there was at least one encouraging sign buried in the result. Colorado dug out of a 2-0 hole with goals from Artturi Lehkonen, Parker Kelly and Gabriel Landeskog, showing the kind of push-back that had been missing at times when games have started to slip away.
Jared Bednar had reason to point to the special teams and the overall effort as positives, even if the standings reward went to Ottawa after Shane Pinto ended it in overtime. For a team trying to stack better habits on top of better results, the comeback mattered almost as much as the point it cost them, because it showed the Avalanche can still find a way back into a game when it starts to tilt the wrong direction. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Need Gavin Brindley For More Than Just Depth
The Avalanches forward depth has taken another hit, and Gavin Brindley is back in the picture after being recalled from the Colorado Eagles. The move comes in the wake of Nathan MacKinnons lower-body injury against the Ottawa Senators, a setback that leaves Colorado waiting to see how long it will be without one of its most important players.
Brindley has already spent time with the Avalanche this season, appearing in five NHL games, and he has shown enough offensive touch in the AHL to earn another look. What changes now is the context: this is no longer just about having an extra body available, but about whether Colorado needs him to help cover meaningful minutes while MacKinnons status remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]