DENVER — The undefeated Colorado Avalanche will play their first home game of the season as they host the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night at Ball Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. and will be nationally broadcast on ESPN.
This will be Colorado's first divisional game of the season and first look at Chicago's Connor Bedard. Bedard was the first overall pick by the Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. In his first four games, Bedard has recorded 3 points (1 goal and 2 assists). Chicago currently sits 2 points behind Colorado in the Central Division standings.
Colorado started their season on Oct. 11 in Los Angeles where the Avalanche came away with a 5-2 win over the Kings. Mikko Rantanen had a big night, recording 4 points (2 goals and 2 assists).
On Oct. 14, the Avalanche made their way up the Pacific Coast Highway to take on the San Jose Sharks. This proved to be a test for the team as Colorado was down 1-0 until the last two minutes of the third period when Cale Makar sent the game to overtime. Rantanen would be the hero for Colorado in a shootout, giving the Avalanche another win.
Last Tuesday gave us the long-awaited rematch from last year's playoffs. The Seattle Kraken came into the game 0-3 on the season and in last place in the Pacific Division. Seattle's Kailer Yamamoto got the Kraken off to a quick start but after that it was all Colorado. The Avalanche won the game 4-1.
Outside of Colorado's impressive offense, goaltending has stayed sharp as well. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev faced 95 shots in three games, allowing only 4 goals on the season. Last year, through his first three games, Georgiev had an .887 save percentage on 80 shots. This year, Georgiev has improved to a .958 save percentage.
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