Ottawa and Colorado are tied at 24 points, but the Avalanche arrive with a commanding edge in goal differential and power-index ranking.
The Senators and Avalanche meet Thursday with identical 11-6-2 records and 24 points, but Colorado’s +19 goal differential dwarfs Ottawa’s +3. Colorado has won its last two and ranks 10th in the power index, five spots ahead of Ottawa, which has dropped its most recent game. The matchup centers on Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, who has 22 points in 15 games, against Ottawa’s Tim Stützle, with 17 points in 15. Ottawa’s path is to limit Colorado’s greater scoring punch; the Avalanche have averaged 6.8 top-six points per game to the Senators’ 5.27.