The Vancouver Canucks are set to play with a fresh sense of energy when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
The Canucks are looking to avoid a third consecutive loss after making big changes to their roster on Friday. One of the trades sent last season’s top scorer, J.T. Miller, to the New York Rangers.
On January 24, the Avalanche added Jack Drury and Martin Necas after trading their top scorer, Mikko Rantanen, to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Filip Chytil, Marcus Pettersson, and Drew O’Connor all made their debuts for Vancouver in the team’s 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit on Sunday.
“There is a lot of smiling, a lot of excitement,” said Canucks coach Rick Tocchet after Sunday’s game. “There was a freshness from the guys who are excited to be here.
“Now it is kind of OK, we got the trades over, and this is our team.
“Let’s start at zero, even for the guys who have struggled this year. It is a time to just reset your brain, come out with a good attitude, work hard. Those are the type of things that are going to get you out of slumps.”
Chytil had an immediate impact, scoring an unassisted goal in the third period.
“(Chytil) was really good. He controlled the play and he wanted the puck,” Tocchet said. “He scored a big goal for us, so it was a good debut for him.”
Pius Suter also scored, and Kevin Lankinen made 15 saves for Vancouver.
The Canucks are hopeful that star defenseman Quinn Hughes will return to the lineup on Tuesday. He missed Sunday’s game due to an unspecified injury.
If Hughes plays, Tuesday’s game will feature a matchup between two of the league’s top offensive defensemen: Hughes and Colorado’s Cale Makar. Hughes won the Norris Trophy last season, while Makar was named the top defenseman in 2022.
Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood could be aiming for his third consecutive shutout if he starts against Vancouver.
Blackwood made 19 saves in a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues on Friday, then stopped all 24 shots in a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday in Denver.
“I try and play the same way day-in and day-out,” said Blackwood, who has posted back-to-back shutouts three times in his career. “Over these last two games, we’ve done a tremendous job in the D-zone just playing the right way.”
Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Samuel Girard scored for Colorado, and Jonathan Drouin added two assists. Colorado completed a two-game homestand with wins in both games.
“I don’t think we’ve given up very many high-danger chances in the last couple of games,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “We’ve done a nice job defending, and when we have a breakdown, (Blackwood) has been there.”
MacKinnon, the league’s leading scorer, added a power-play goal and became the first player to reach 80 points this season.
