After a 5-4 overtime win on Sunday night (Nov. 9) against the Vancouver Canucks, the Colorado Avalanche return home to begin a four-game homestand, starting with a Military Appreciation Night showdown against the red-hot Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. The Avalanche are looking for their fourth straight win, while the Ducks are looking for their eighth. Here are three Avalanche players to watch in this matchup of division leaders.
3. Jack Drury
Outside of the Avalanche’s stars, Jack Drury has been widely overlooked this season. He’s currently tied for ninth on the team in points (seven). He’s on a five-game point streak, including two goals and two assists, with both goals coming in the 9-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. He’s been great on the third line, being his usual menace in the faceoff dot against opponents.
Related: Nathan MacKinnon Reaches Another Tier of Avalanche Lore With 381st Career Goal
Drury has a 51.1% faceoff success rate, which is the lowest of his career; he is a force at winning possession, no matter the situation, and that number should improve. He’s also averaging 14:58 of ice time, a career high, as head coach Jared Bednar has increased his ice time over the last five games. He played 18:22 against the Canucks, after earning 15:45 of ice time against the Oilers.
While he is not going to light the lamp like the team’s stars, Drury is perfect at winning faceoffs and providing depth scoring. He is a plus-2 after 16 games and is top-ten on the team in points. He’s contributing on and off the score sheet.
2. Artturi Lehkonen
Artturi Lehkonen has been feeling it over the last few games. He is third on the Avalanche in goals (six), fourth in assists (nine), fourth in points (15), and is tied for the team lead with a plus-13 rating. Over the last five games, he has two goals and two assists, including two against the Canucks on Sunday. In the last two games, he’s had nine shots on net, leading to three points over that span.
Lehkonen has also been averaging 19:17 of ice time, third-most since he joined the team in 2021-22. His 14% shooting percentage is the third highest as well. After finishing with 27 goals and 45 points in 69 games last season, Lehkonen is now on pace to have his best-ever season with the Avalanche.
While opponents tend to focus on Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas, etc., Lehkonen has shown he can sneak up on a team and give the Avalanche a boost. He’s scoring at almost a point-per-game pace, and the question is whether he can continue that over a full season.
1. Nathan MacKinnon
MacKinnon earned the first star of the week honors after scoring four goals and 10 points in three games last week, including four goals and nine points in the last two games, with a five-point night against the Canucks. ac
After scoring his 381st NHL goal on Sunday, he now ranks third all-time in franchise history in goals behind Joe Sakic (625) and Michel Goulet (456). After 16 games, MacKinnon leads the team in goals (14) and points (29), while trailing Cale Makar in assists by one. He is also on a nine-game point streak, helping lead the Avalanche to top spot in the Central Division. He also leads the NHL in points and could be the first player to reach 30 tonight. If there is one player to watch tonight, it’s MacKinnon.
Related: MacKinnon’s 5-Point Night Leads Avalanche to 5-4 OT Victory Over Canucks
Outside of the three players mentioned, the entire Avalanche roster has been stepping up of late. Gavin Brindley scored the overtime winner against the Canucks, and is making it hard to reassign him to the Colorado Eagles. Makar has 22 points in 16 games, along with a team-leading 16 assists and a plus-12 rating. Necas is second on the team in goals (nine), third in assists (10), and third in points (19). The Avalanche have stars in spades and will look for their fourth win in a row at Ball Arena tonight.
