Avalanche look to build momentum vs. Sharks before Olympic break

A month ago, the Colorado Avalanche were chasing NHL history as one of the best regular-season teams, but with one game left before the Olympic break, they are struggling and feeling pressure in the standings.

Colorado is 3-5-2 in its last 10 games and is coming off its first scoreless game of the season but can enter the hiatus with some momentum when it hosts the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.

The Avalanche still lead the league with 81 points, but the teams in second and third place are in their division — Minnesota and Dallas, which have won four and five games in a row, respectively. The Wild have 76 points and the Stars 75, narrowing the gap on Colorado in recent weeks.

Injuries have played a part, but the Avalanche did get defenseman Devon Toews back from a 12-game absence in Monday night’s 2-0 loss to Detroit, and forward Martin Necas is expected to return Wednesday night. He has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.

Necas is second on the team with 62 points (22 goals, 40 assists), well behind Nathan MacKinnon, who has 91 points (40 goals, 51 assists). MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals and is second in points.

One bright spot for Colorado is goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood’s performance. He has allowed only one goal, making 51 saves on 52 shots in two games against the Red Wings.

“He’s stringing together some nice games here,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s getting back in the swing of things. … He’s given us a chance to win every night.”

Blackwood’s former team visits on Wednesday night, led by 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini. The young center ranks fourth in the NHL with 81 points (28 goals, 53 assists) and has registered four goals and five assists in his last five games.

San Jose has struggled lately as well, having lost its last three games and four of its last six. Wednesday night will wrap up a five-game road trip and is the final of three matchups against the Avalanche this season.

The Sharks beat Colorado in overtime on Nov. 1 but were routed 6-0 in the second game on Nov. 26.

San Jose won’t have enforcer Ryan Reaves in the lineup Wednesday night after he was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. That opens a roster spot, which will likely be filled by forward Kiefer Sherwood, who would make his Sharks debut.

Sherwood (upper body) was acquired from Vancouver two weeks ago but hasn’t played since Jan. 10. Sherwood, who played 27 games for the Avalanche between 2020 and 2022, has 17 goals and six assists and is two goals away from matching his career high set last season.

San Jose is currently outside the playoff picture in the competitive Western Conference, so every point matters.

“We’ve got one game left until the (Olympics) break,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We’ve got to really zero in on the things we need to do that have made us have success up to this point.”

–Field Level Media