The Colorado Avalanche will don their Quebec Nordiques retro jerseys once again to host the Toronto Maple Leafs late on Monday night. Colorado has a 2–0–1 record in the jerseys thus far. This included a win over another Canadian team, the Montreal Canadiens.
Game three of the seven-game home stand will see another Eastern Conference team enter the fray. But Toronto is another level above the last two opponents for the Avalanche.
Ivan Ivan has been recalled by the Avs from the Colorado Eagles. In the two games over the weekend he had no points but he had 8 SOG and was the only one to score in the shootout on Friday night. #Avs #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/XMQbPQ2XeG
— Hockey Mountain High (@HockeyMtnHighCO) January 12, 2026
Colorado Avalanche (33–4–7, 73 pts)
The Avs relied on their depth and resilience to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday afternoon in a shutout win. Trent Miner recorded his first NHL win and shutout all in the same 60-minute span.
Trent Miner earns First Star with a shutout performance! ⭐️👏 pic.twitter.com/GvDccKuN5h
— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) January 10, 2026
He may be back on the bench behind Scott Wedgewood once again, but there is hope Mackenzie Blackwood could return. The Canadian took part in practice on Sunday. Whoever ends up being the goaltender of choice for Jared Bednar will be intriguing.
All the work done against Columbus was done without Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, or Artturi Lehkonen getting on the scoresheet. Will Colorado score an 18th consecutive win on home ice behind their play, or rely once again on the likes of Parker Kelly, Gavin Brindley, and Brent Burns?
Projected Lines
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Gavin Brindley – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly – Ivan Ivan – Zakhar Bardakov
Samuel Girard – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Ilya Solovyov – Sam Malinski
Trent Miner
Scott Wedgewood
Toronto Maple Leafs (22–15–7, 51 pts)
Toronto took advantage of another fellow Canadian team, shutting out the Vancouver Canucks 5–0 on Saturday as well. This game is the first of a three-game road trip out West involving the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights.
This game against Colorado is also the first leg of a back-to-back with Utah. They need all the points they can get amidst an intense battle for a playoff spot in the East.
Plus, their record overshadows the mess the Leafs have been in all year long. Auston Matthews has been far from his best with only 35 points in 38 games. William Nylander, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies have led the line and will look to lead again for a fourth straight win.
Projected Lines
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Max Domi
Matias Maccelli – John Tavares – William Nylander
Easton Cowan – Nicolas Roy – Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton – Bobby McMann
Morgan Reilly – Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit – Troy Stecher
Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby
Game Details
Time: 8:00 p.m. MT
Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, KTVD, SNO (TOR), TVAS (TOR), ESPN+ (Out of Market Only)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM/AM 950
