Avalanche eager to extend point streak in clash vs. Canadiens
The Colorado Avalanche's winning streak ended at 10 games, however their run of consecutive contests with at least a point continued after a 3-2 shootout loss on Friday afternoon.
The Avalanche still have just one regulation loss this season, and they don't have time to dwell on their winning streak ending. They host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday afternoon to complete a back-to-back set.
Montreal also is playing its second game in as many days but heads into Denver after recording a 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.
It was the first game defenseman Mike Matheson played since signing a five-year, $30 million contract extension with the club. He had an assist in Friday's game, which was Montreal's third win in a row after a 1-4-3 stretch.
The Canadiens, who started this win streak with a home victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday, squeaked by the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday on a late goal by captain Nick Suzuki.
Suzuki set up a goal on Friday to add to his team-leading totals in assists (20) and points (27).
"I'm just trying to do my best out there," Suzuki said. "I get to play with a lot of great players every single night and you know they've helped me get to where I am today so I'm definitely grateful for that."
Montreal has six players with 15 or more points, including leading goal-scorer Cole Caufield, who netted his 14th of the season on Friday. He is second on the team in scoring with 25 points and is the only player with more than seven goals.
Colorado likely will face goaltender Jakub Dobes, who is 8-2-2 with a 2.89 goals-against average in 12 games.
The Avalanche most likely have Mackenzie Blackwood in net after Scott Wedgewood was in the crease against the Minnesota Wild on Friday. Minnesota scored 12 minutes into the second period, ending a combined shutout streak of more than 220 minutes.
Blackwood had two of those shutouts, stopping 61 shots in the two games. He is starting to look like the No. 1 goaltender after making his season debut on Nov. 1.
That was the last loss for Colorado until Friday, but its point streak extended to 15 games (12-0-3) heading into Saturday.
The Avalanche needed a late goal by captain Gabriel Landeskog to extend Friday's game past regulation, and it went to a shootout, where they are now 0-3 on the season.
"Shootout, you can flip a coin. Overall, a really good road effort from our team, big point, move on and get ready for (Saturday) against Montreal," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said.
The Avalanche have won seven straight games on home ice and are 9-0-2 overall there.
Nathan MacKinnon, who assisted on Landeskog's goal, leads the NHL in goals (19) and points (41).
Cale Makar also got an assist on Friday and leads all defensemen with 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists).
-Field Level Media
Matt LaFleur's reaction to the Packers' win over the Lions shows he's ready for what's ahead
The Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions 31-24 on Thanksgiving, improving the team's chances to make the playoffs to an impressive 94 percent. But with five games to go in the regular season, Matt LaFleur knows there's not much time to rest.
The Packers have a mini-bye now, but next week they face the Chicago Bears in a game between the two best records of the NFC North. It's sweet to win a big game, but LaFleur highlighted there's a long way to go.
"Every game is a new challenge, and I just never want to feel like, okay, here we are, we've got it figured out, because you've got to put the work in," Matt LaFleur said. "And there's a lot of talented defenses in this league, and there's a lot of challenges, there's a lot of smart coaches that are going to scheme up stuff against you. So we're going to continue to just try to get a little bit better each and every day, the same mindset that we've always had. That's the only way I know how to approach it."
Scheme evolution
The Packers were able to score 31 points against the Lions, who entered Week 13 as the sixth best defense in football by DVOA. But don't think that LaFleur is satisfied — he knows each game will present a different challenge.
"Every game is going to have ups and downs, and I think you just got to stay tough," LaFleur added. "You got to stay with it. You got to stay resilient. I think the best teams are able to do that and overcome their mistakes. There's no game that's ever going to be perfect in any phase. You just got to stay resilient. You got to keep that belief."
On Friday, the Packers will closely watch the Chicago Bears for multiple reasons. First, a Bears' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles would put Green Bay at the top of the division. But also because the Packers face their biggest rivals in Week 14 and Week 16. While the Bears are 25th in defensive DVOA, LaFleur also wants more from his own team.
"I still don't think we're where we want to get to, certainly," LaFleur explained. "I just don't think you can ever be satisfied. You just got to keep fighting. You got to put the work in. There's no substitute for the work. Thankfully, I'm around a bunch of guys that embrace the challenges, embrace putting in the work. There's no shortcuts in this league. You just got to keep fighting."
The Packers are now much closer to the postseason, but the job is not done.
