Colorado Avalanche Begin Home Stand Against Anaheim Ducks
The Colorado Avalanche are hosting the Anaheim Ducks on the first of their three-game home stand. Colorado is looking for its seventh straight victory.
The Colorado Avalanche are facing the Western Conference rival Anaheim Ducks in a matinee home game. Because of the holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), the two teams are facing off at 1:00 pm MT.
The Ducks and Avalanche have already faced each other once this season, early on. Colorado hosted Anaheim on October 13, a 3-1 victory for the Avs that saw Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie and Nikita Zadorov score for Colorado.
All time, the Avalanche are 38-34-9-7(ties) against the Ducks. Colorado is coming off a 4-1 victory against the Stars in Dallas. Anaheim is coming off 4-2 victory over the LA Kings.
How to Enjoy the Game
Game time: January 15, 1:00 pm MT
TV Networks: Altitude TV (Avs feed), PRIME (Ducks feed)
Radio: Altitude Radio (AM 950)
Player (and Coach) Quotes
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“You win a lot of games because you know you can win. You have a winning feeling on the team.”
“We look at the statistics, but we just need to focus game after game.”
Alexander Kerfoot on team chemistry:
“It’s been a lot of fun for us. Obviously winning hockey games is fun. I think we’ve got a good group here who enjoy spending time with each other, and I think that translates to winning hockey.”
Coach Jared Bednar on winning:
“Wins are hard to come by and when you can get your team playing confident, playing well and playing with good habits, it gives you something to grow on. We want to keep pushing the bar higher and higher.”
Mark Barberio on the competition:
“It’s a playoff game every night. You look at who we’re coming up against. It’s all teams that we’re battling against to get into the playoffs.”
Players to Watch
The most obvious players to watch for the Anaheim Ducks are Richard Rakell and Ryan Getzlaf, their points leaders. Rakell has 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists), while Getzlaf has 25 points (4 goals, 21 assists). However, you never want to take your eyes of Getzlaf’s longtime linemate, Corey Perry. It’s not just that he scores, it’s that he’s one of the biggest agitators in the NHL.
Well, if you’re talking agitators, Colorado’s own A.J. Greer would love to dethrone Perry one day. He hasn’t gotten a foothold in the NHL yet. But when he does, he’s going to be getting under a lot of skin.
Naturally, when it comes to Avalanche scorers, your eyes will turn to the hottest player in the NHL right now, Nathan MacKinnon. However, I’m going to draw attention to Tyson Jost. He nearly scored on a beautiful setup by fellow rookie Alexander Kerfoot. He did score against the (hated) Minnesota Wild, and I predict he’s just looking for that breakout game.
Next: Keys to the Avs; 3-Game Home Stand
The Colorado Avalanche will face the Anaheim Ducks just one more time, at the end of the season. They’ll make their only trip to Anaheim on April 1.