The two hottest teams in the NHL both play in the Central Division. They’re both riding lengthy winning streaks, both have eight wins in their previous 10 games, and they’ve been the two best teams in the NHL since the start of November.
The Avalanche and Minnesota Wild, set for a puck drop just after 4 p.m. MT, are battling for the second time this season in what could easily end up being the game of the month.
If the Avs win, it would pull them further ahead of the Wild in the standings. But if Minnesota wins, the four-point swing means they’ll inch closer to both Colorado and Dallas atop the Central Division. The Avs are eight points ahead of the Wild, and four ahead of Dallas, with two games in hand on both clubs.
These are the top three teams in the NHL. The winner of the division will get an opportunity to face a wildcard team. The other two will have to go head-to-head in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With just under 50 games remaining, it’s unlikely that any of the other Central teams catch them in the standings.
So these head-to-head matchups will mean that much more.
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Minnesota is riding a seven-game winning streak and is 19-3-2 in its last 24 games. Their hot start to the season led to general manager Bill Guerin going all in, by trading three young assets and a first round pick to acquire superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks just over a week ago.
Hughes has fit in perfectly as Minnesota’s top blueliner, playing alongside Brock Faber. The Wild have also seen massive growth from goalie Jesper Wallstedt, who leads the NHL with four shutouts. His 10-1-2 record is similar to Mackenzie Blackwood’s 10-1-1 mark.
Blackwood is likely getting the nod for the Avs, and it’s already been confirmed that Wallstedt with go for the Wild, who used Filip Gustavsson on Saturday when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-2.
Meanwhile, Colorado is riding a four-game winning streak and is a whopping 20-1-3 record in its last 24. The Avs have been the top dog in the league for well over a month, and have just two regulation losses at nearly the halfway mark of the regular season.
Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals and points. Scott Wedgewood is tied for first with 15 wins, and Cale Makar, who has slowed down a bit from his early-season pace, is tied for the league lead in production from the blueline.
Head coach Jared Bednar is expected to roll with the same lineup as the one that defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Friday at Ball Arena, aside from the switch-up in goal. Ross Colton will continue to center the third line with wingers Gavin Brindley and Victor Olofsson. And that leaves Zakhar Bardakov as the lone healthy scratch among the forward group.
