Avalanche win 9th straight game, Canadiens sign Alexandre Texier
Here’s the very latest from around the NHL.
Colorado Avalanche dominating early on this season
The Colorado Avalanche sit atop the NHL’s standings, posting an impressive 16-1-5 record to start the year. Nathan MacKinnon is having an MVP-calibre season, collecting 17 goals, and 37 points in his first 22 games. Cale Makar is also on another level at the moment, posting 29 points in his firs 22 games.
Add in Martin Necas and his 28 points, and the Avs have a three-headed monster leading their offense. Scott Wedgewood has 13 wins to lead all NHL goalies, with a 2.09 goals against average, and .918 save percentage. Colorado is the only team in the league averaging 4.00 goals per game this year, while it leads the NHL with 88 goals.
Colorado shut out the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, and extended its point streak to 13 games, going 11-0-2 during that stretch. While Colorado is focused on peaking in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Makar admitted postgame that this stretch is doing wonders for their confidence.
“I think it’s a good confidence piece for us right now to be able to win these games,” Makar said. “Being able to win in all these different ways is good for us. But again, we want to keep building it at this point of the season.”
Montreal Canadiens sign Alex Texier
The Montreal Canadiens and free-agent forward Alexandre Texier have come to terms on a one-year contract. Texier was recently waived, and had his contract terminated by the St. Louis Blues.
Texier was originally under contract with the Blues for $2.1 million AAV, and after appearing in just eight of St. Louis’ first 21 games, the two sides decided Texier would be better suited playing for another organization. His 10:15 of ice-time per game this season was the lowest of Texier’s career.
The 26-year-old joins the Canadiens, a team going through some injuries, and looking for some more depth among their bottom six. Texier was originally a 2017 second-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and had his best season in 2023-24, when he posted 30 points in 78 games.
The Canadiens are expected to be busy this season on the trade market, and appear zoned in on adding a second-line centre to their mix. Meanwhile in St. Louis, the Blues are one team to watch when it comes to a fire sale, as they aren’t meeting expectations this year, and GM Doug Armstrong could be open to shuffling up his core.
Quick hits from around the NHL:
- Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen was suspended one game for boarding, after he was ejected for the second time in three games for hits from behind. Rantanen’s first hit was on New York Islanders defenceman Alexander Romanov, and the Russian blueliner underwent shoulder surgery, and is out five to six months.
- San Jose Sharks sophomore Macklin Celebrini sits second in the NHL with 34 points, and is making a serious push to be named to Team Canada’s Olympic team. The same can be said about Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard, who has scored 31 points through his first 22 games.
- The Nashville Predators enter the new week the worst team in the league with a 6-11-4 record, and have several trade candidates to keep an eye on, including former Maple Leaf Michael Bunting.
- Buffalo Sabres placed goaltender Alexandar Georgiev on unconditional waivers over the weekend.
- Minnesota Wild forward Vinnie Hinostroza suffered a serious lower-body injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and is going to miss significant time.
- Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie is maybe the surprise of the season, entering this week tied for the league lead with 17 goals.
Sponsored by bet365
