All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 29.

Colorado Hockey Now

Brent Burns and Gabe Landeskog are becoming staples of the Avalanche’s informal skates at Ball Arena. But so are a handful of AHL guys looking to make an impression at training camp. Guys like Nikita Prishchepov, Maros Jedlicka, Matthew Stienburg, Chase Bradley, Sean Behrens, Gavin Brindley and many more.

I suspect we’ll see a ton more veterans trickle into town soon. Things are kicking off in less than three weeks.

READ MORE: Landeskog, Burns, Among Avalanche Participants In Recent Skates 

Around The NHL

Marner Chats with Mark Masters: Mitch Marner say down with TSN’s Mark Masters at the Hockey Canada orientation camp to discuss what ended up being a sad ending for the local kid from his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Among the things Marner talked about was how safety started becoming an issue. Someone in the city posted his address online following the Game 7 loss and Marner had to spend his last few weeks at home under heavy security. You can read more about his interview here. Pretty crazy stuff.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Connor McDavid is the best hockey player in the world, but he’s not captain Canada. Not while Sidney Crosby is still around. Even at the age of 38.

Detroit Hockey Now: One of Detroit’s former highly touted prospects is facing a four-year doping ban from the IIHF after testing positive for a whopping six banned substances.

Boston Hockey Now: Can the Bruins be a landing spot for McDavid if he actually tests the market next summer? I still believe he’ll stay in Edmonton and probably sign soon. And even if not, it’s hard to imagine Boston would be his top choice.

San Jose Hockey Now: What Dmitry Orlov can bring to the Sharks.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Skating in Colorado; Marner Talks Unceremonious Departure From Toronto appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 28.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche are going to be in the national spotlight this season. For good reason.

Along with the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, Colorado will have the second most nationally broadcasted games on the calendar this year, appearing on TNT, ABC, or ESPN a combined 17 times. Only Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (18) will have more games featured. This is potentially Ovechkin’s last year in the NHL, so it makes sense.

Catch the Avs’ full national broadcast schedule below.

READ MORE: Avalanche Will Be Spotlighted on National Broadcasts 17 Times in 2025-26

If you haven’t seen it already, Barrie’s Instagram post that announced his retirement on Tuesday was hilarious.

Also, the Carolina Hurricanes are throwing professional tryouts around ahead of training camp. They’ve added two former Avalanche skaters from last season as invites. Will either of them land a contract? I have my doubts.

READ MORE: Carolina Hurricanes Sign Two Former Avs to PTOs

Around The NHL

McDavid Talks Contract: At the opening day of the Hockey Canada orientation camp, McDavid was asked about his pending contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers right away. Like, it was the first question. At a camp meant for the Olympics. And I don’t blame the reporter at all, this is the biggest story in the league and will be until he signs.

Sportsnet had a write up on the situation. Ultimately, McDavid’s comments on Wednesday made it clear that there is a possibility he won’t sign an extension before opening night. That’s not something anyone would’ve predicted three months ago.

Marner Answers Questions: Mitch Marner was also courted by media on Day 1. As you’d expect, he answered questions that were Leafs related.

The camp continues on Thursday, and I wonder if either of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, or Devon Toews will eventually be made available. I’m curious what they have to say about a wide range of topics after nearly four months since the Game 7 loss. As you can probably tell, I’m excited to get going with media day here in Denver in a few weeks.

San Hockey Now: The Sharks new arena deal includes all kinds of big updates to their home. You can learn more about what’s coming here.

Detroit Hockey Now: The Red Wings have high hopes for Axel Sandin Pellikka. And as you’d imagine, the young Swedish prospect is pretty excited to get going at training camp. I envision he’ll be a huge piece alongside Simon Edvinsson on the second pair for years to come. (That’s if the Wings don’t dangle him as trade bait to get Mason McTavish).

The post Deen’s Daily: McDavid Might Not Sign Before Opening Night; PTOs Abound; Avalanche in National Spotlight appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — July 31.

Colorado Hockey Now

July has come and gone. Free agency, trades, the fallout from the draft. It’s all in the past.

As we enter the slowest month of the hockey calendar, I figured this would be a good time to start to look ahead. Is the Avs roster complete? Not quite. But there are three guys on the team that I’m really looking forward to seeing how they do next year.

Two of them are forwards, and guys that the team will need more from. And that includes a hopefully healthy season for each of them. You can read more on that below.

READ MORE: 3 Under-the-Radar Avalanche Storylines to Follow This Season

Around The NHL

McDavid, Bouchard, and More: Stan Bowman made two appearances this week to talk about two of the bigger names on his team. One of them, of course, being the face of the league, Connor McDavid.

Bowman was on the 100% Hockey podcast and on Bob Stauffer’s radio show. He said that he’s encouraged with where talks are with McDavid right now, even if the timeline doesn’t include an extension in July.

Bowman also has an issue with what people think of Evan Bouchard’s new deal. Does he get too much criticism?

San Jose Hockey Now: Adam Gaudette had a great breakout season with the Senators. Can he do it again in San Jose?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Here’s a pretty strong statement from Shelly Anderson on what trading Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust would mean for the Pens.

Detroit Hockey Now: Speaking of Rust and Rakell, do they make sense as acquisitions for the Red Wings? Methinks one of them does, can you guess which one?

Montreal Hockey Now: Nothing more exciting in late July than some prospect on prospect violence at an international hockey event.

The post Deen’s Daily: Oilers Encouraged with McDavid Talks; Avalanche Need More from Secondary Scoring appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 13.

Colorado Hockey Now

The last of the NHL Awards were announced on Thursday ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. We learned after seeing the final voter tallies that Nathan MacKinnon wasn’t a finalist for the Hart Trophy because he missed out by a single point to Nikita Kucherov for third place. Leon Draisaitl was second and Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck won both the Vezina Trophy and the Hart. Hellebuyck became the first goalie in 10 years to win the MVP — the first since Carey Price did it in 2015.

I figured MacKinnon would be pretty close to the top 3 in the Hart Trophy race. I didn't think he would literally be a point back.

Also, great to see Makar present in so many ballots. Makar had 7 second-place votes pic.twitter.com/DMHvuGuzQO

— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) June 12, 2025

The Avs’ top two stars did earn a different honor. For the first time, both Cale Makar and MacKinnon were named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team in the same season. Makar was also on 31 ballots for the Hart Trophy, receiving seven second-place votes.

Yesterday I wrote my first edition of Offseason Musings, which covers literally anything and everything that comes to mind whether Avalanche-related or around the league. Among the points I made was a brief blip from Pierre LeBrun on his Rumblings piece about the Avs having interest in Jonathan Toews.

On Friday morning, Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts that Colorado is in fact in on him. Friedman also mentioned the Winnipeg Jets as another team that Toews is speaking with, before also wondering if the Tampa Bay Lightning could be an option.

I’m of the belief that the Avs should role with MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle, and Jack Drury down the middle. I don’t think they should trade Coyle. If they want to clear space for other improvements, they have Ross Colton, Miles Wood, and Samuel Girard that are more suitable trade candidates. With that being said, I’m all for bringing Toews to Colorado. As a winger.

Given that the team is already going to be without Logan O’Connor for the first month or two of the regular-season, having Toews as an extra depth piece in the bottom six could be huge. We ultimately don’t know how much he’s got left in the tank. At most, he could impress and give you around 40-50 points and play a larger role. He might even unseat Coyle or Nelson if any of them are hurt or struggle. But at worst, Toews is a veteran presence who plays a solid two-way game and could be an excellent bottom-six checking forward.

Having him and Parker Kelly as those extra wingers that could shift to center is what this team needs. I don’t remember the last time they’ve been this deep at center already. Adding Toews could only elevate that.

We’ll see where this goes and if Toews becomes the latest veteran (similar to Zach Parise) to call Denver home late in his career.

If you missed it yesterday, you can read about that and my other thoughts in the article linked below.

Read More: Offseason Musings: Rumors Galore — An Avalanche of Opportunities to Explore

Stanley Cup Final Recap

Game 3: Before Thursday night, teams who had led 3-0 after the first period in the Stanley Cup Final were 37-0. They’re now 37-1.

Edmonton gave up three goals in the first but surged to score three in the second period to even the score. After gaining the lead in the final frame, they gave up the game-tying goal with 19 seconds remaining before Draisaitl scored his fourth OT game winner of the year to even the series at 2-2 with Calvin Pickard saving the day in relief.

What an absolutely incredible Stanley Cup Final it’s been. Truly, this has been the best series I’ve watched in a long, long time. The fact that the two latest game-tying goals in Stanley Cup Final history both have happened in this series is truly special.

I’m excited for a pivotal Game 5 on Saturday and I do believe Connor McDavid will make his mark in that game.

Stanley Cup Final Series

Game 1: EDM 4-3 OT (Series: 1-0 EDM)
Game 2: FLA 5-4 OT (Series: 1-1 tied)
Game 3: FLA 6-1 (Series: 2-1 FLA)
Game 4: EDM 5-4 OT (Series: 2-2 tied)
Game 5: FLA at EDM (Saturday, June 14)
Game 6: EDM at FLA (Tuesday, June 17)
Game 7: FLA at EDM (Friday, June 20)

Around The NHL

Montreal Hockey Now: Could Toews be a fit in Montreal?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Is Fenway Sports Group actually trying to sell the Penguins just four years after acquiring the franchise? The rumors and reports are swirling, but FSG is trying to downplay it.

Florida Hockey Now: Game 4 had a little bit of everything.

Detroit Hockey Now: Is Nic Hague also on Detroit’s radar? It would appear so.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avs Stars Receive NHL Honors; Edmonton Makes Epic Comeback; Is Jonathan Toews Coming to Colorado? appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 10.

Colorado Hockey Now

Ray Bennett was fired just over a month ago by the Avalanche, but he’s officially back in the game. Patrick Roy hired the former Avs assistant coach to join his staff on Long Island.

When Roy resigned in August 2016, Jared Bednar kept Nolan Pratt as a holdover from Roy’s staff and hired Bennett. Coincidentally, it’s Bennett now that’s heading over to work for Roy, along with former Avs defenseman and Roy’s former teammate, Bob Boughner.

A Clean Sheet: Gabe Landeskog

Last week I was invited by the wonderful team at Fresh Tape Media to attend a pre-screening event for the finale of Gabe Landeskog’s documentary. The episode was released ahead of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, but this event took place the night before.

My wife and I both attended, and it was honestly one of the nicest NHL-related events I’ve attended. The episode was great — as were the stories Landeskog told afterward. (The one about his son pretending to be Cale Makar was hilarious).

Landeskog and I spent some time catching up before the screening, and he was very nice to my wife and chatted with her for a bit, too.

The entire event brought me back. Back to 2011 when I was a young fan excited for the Avs to draft this Swedish kid that was, at the time, highly regarded as a future NHL captain. It brought me back to the professional relationship I built with him from 2019-2022, leading up to the Stanley Cup championship.

It brought me back to congratulating him on the ice in Tampa Bay and how much he enjoyed soaking in the moment of that successful Cup run. It brought me back to the many, many pressers we’ve had with him over the past three years, often to announce a surgery, a setback, anything but his return.

And it brought me back to the Colorado Eagles conditioning assignment and his eventual return in the playoffs.

At that event on Sunday, Landeskog was just another guy who loved hockey. But over the past three years, he’s been so much more. He mentioned many times how he’s excited to spend the offseason improving his game rather than trying to get healthy. It truly does feel like a reborn career — one that hopefully isn’t anywhere close to being over.

They say when you do the job I, and many others do, as credentialed NHL media, you no longer cheer for teams. You cheer for players. For individual stories. For people.

You’ll never find me anywhere but in Landeskog’s corner. I’ll always root for that guy.

If you haven’t yet, you should absolutely take the time to catch the entire six-part documentary. The team at Fresh Tape Media did an excellent job. Good people run that company.

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Read More: Deen’s View: Nelson Deal Sets the Table — Now the Real Work Begins for the Avalanche (+)

Stanley Cup Final Recap

Game 3: The Panthers absolutely mugged the Oilers in Game 3 on Monday. It was the first home game in Florida of the series and they took complete control. Florida won 6-1, thanks largely to a handful of irresponsible penalties taken by Edmonton (before things got ugly). I don’t want to say Game 4 is a must win for Connor McDavid and the Oilers given how last year went. But it’s getting pretty close to that.

Stanley Cup Final Series

Game 1: EDM 4-3 OT (Series: 1-0 EDM)
Game 2: FLA 5-4 OT (Series: 1-1 tied)
Game 3: FLA 6-1 (Series: 2-1 FLA)
Game 4: EDM at FLA (Thursday, June 12)
Game 5: FLA at EDM (Saturday, June 14)
Game 6: EDM at FLA (Tuesday, June 17)
Game 7: FLA at EDM (Friday, June 20)

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins are one of two teams rumored to be going hard after Vegas defenseman Nic Hague.

Montreal Hockey Now: The Habs are the other team. Is there a fit for Hague in Montreal?

NYI Hockey Now: How Roy’s staff is shaping up after these last two hires.

Vegas Hockey Now: This was a whopper on Monday. The Golden Knights reportedly spoke to Toronto and Carolina about a three-way trade around the deadline that would’ve landed Mitch Marner in Vegas. Guess who would’ve ended up in his place in Toronto?

The post Deen’s Daily: Landeskog Documentary Finale; Panthers Stomp Oilers; Bennett Hired in NY appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 5.

Colorado Hockey Now

I’m still pretty surprised and pleased to see the Avalanche take care of a big piece of business on Wednesday. They re-signed second-line center Brock Nelson to a three-year contract with a $7.5 million AAV. Nelson, Coyle, and Drury were all acquired midseason and are all going to start 2025-26 with the Avs. That in itself is a HUGE upgrade on a year ago.

I know the playoff loss was a disappointment, but it’s nice to see the Avs actually have a playoff caliber lineup already, rather than a bunch of scrap pieces filling out depth roles until the trade deadline. That was what we’ve been used to over the last two seasons.

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Read More: Deen’s View: Nelson Deal Sets the Table — Now the Real Work Begins for the Avalanche (+)

Perhaps one of the bigger questions now is the curious case of Martin Necas. I’ve written many times since the Game 7 loss that the Avs can’t possibly risk letting Necas walk as a UFA next July. When the Carolina Hurricanes tried to lock him up to a long-term deal last summer, Necas was adamant that the most he’d do was two years to walk him straight to UFA status. That’s fine. It’s his right. But if you’re the Avs, you cannot let that happen.

Necas has enough value to attract a considerable return on the trade market. But he doesn’t have the playoff pedigree (yet) to use him as an “own rental” and risk him walking in 13 months for nothing. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos had Necas on his Trade Board and said the winger “wasn’t overly thrilled” in Colorado. I’m not sure where that’s coming from, but it’s something to keep an eye on as we inch closer to the NHL Draft and July 1.

Elliotte Friedman spoke about this in his latest 32 Thoughts Podcast and confirmed that Necas wasn’t willing to sign a long-term deal last summer in Carolina. Friedman said he doesn’t know yet if that feeling has changed.

Stanley Cup Final

Game 1: EDM 4-3 OT (Oilers lead series 1-0) —  What an unbelievable start to the Final this year. The Oilers got out to an early 1-0 lead but watched as the game quickly shifted in Florida’s direction. The Panthers led 3-1 at the first intermission, 3-2 at the second intermission, but the game was tied at 3-3 as regulation concluded.

In the final minute of overtime, Leon Draisaitl capitalized on the PP off a setup from Connor McDavid to give Edmonton the crucial Game 1 victory. It was one of the better Stanley Cup Final openers I’ve seen in years. It’s nice too see Draisaitl get on the board twice after failing to score in last year’s seven-game series. He was one of many Oilers who played injured last year. That’s not the case anymore, and Edmonton looks like it’s on a mission to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup in 32 years.

Game 2: Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers (6 pm MT on Friday — TNT & tru TV)

Around The NHL

Bill Masterton Trophy: Sean Monahan won the Bill Masterton Trophy, the league announced on Thursday. Gabe Landeskog was one of the three finalists for the award but was beat out by the Blue Jackets center. I’d imagine we’re going to see Landeskog up for this again next year, if I had to guess.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Two former Pens assistant coaches are following Mike Sullivan to New York. One of them, David Quinn, was a catalyst for Pittsburgh’s strong power play and someone I was curious about for the Avs. Quinn used to be an assistant coach for Colorado many years ago. He also, coincidentally, held the Rangers’ head coaching position recently.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins became the last team to hire a head coach. They went with a former player who has climbed the coaching ranks in recent years.

The post Deen’s Daily: Oilers Win Entertaining Game 1 in OT; Bruins Hire Head Coach; What’s the Plan For Necas in Colorado? appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — February 23.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche played their first game in two weeks and looked as inconsistent as they did earlier in the month. You truly never know what team you’re going to get on any given night.

Against a bad Predators team, Colorado only mustered one goal and lost 2-1. Here’s the game story for the disappointing loss. We’ll see if they can bounce back tonight against the St. Louis Blues.

Catch the Latest episode of my podcast, Rinkside with Aarif Deen — Bad Avalanche Loss | February 22, 2025.

Around the NHL

Rantanen Update: Elliotte Friedman opened his Saturday Night headlines segment with an update on Rantanen. He said the Hurricanes made an offer above $100 million but Rantanen has not yet decided if he’d like to sign there long-term.

The former Avs star wants more time to process all the sudden changes before locking in a new contract. And with that, he informed the Hurricanes that it’s not yes and not no. He just needs time.

Again, this is something to keep an eye on heading into the March 7 trade deadline.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: While we’re on the subject of bad losses, I don’t think it gets worse than the Penguins falling 8-3 to rival Washington Capitals. You have to feel for Sidney Crosby, coming home to this after an exciting 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

P.K. Subban unleashed on Pens management following a five-goal second-period outburst for the Caps.

Montreal Hockey Now: Impressive showing for the Habs in a game against Ottawa. Juraj Slafkovsky came out swinging (literally).

Philadelphia Hockey Now: Like Nathan MacKinnon and Crosby, Connor McDavid also lost two days after winning it all for Team Canada. Five Thoughts from the Flyer’s big win over Edmonton.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils lost to Dallas, but Jack Hughes looked a lot better than he did for Team USA.

Detroit Hockey Now: What would’ve been an outstanding start to the final push for the playoffs ended with a lost point in the standings for the Red Wings.

San Jose Hockey Now: An update on the injury to Yaroslav Askarov, which he suffered in the AHL during the break.

Florida Hockey Now: In a common theme around the NHL, several of the big names who played for Canada lost in their first game back. Add Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett to that list.

The post Deen’s Daily: Bad Avalanche Loss; Rantanen’s Future Undecided; Subban Rips Penguins appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — February 21.

Colorado Hockey Now

Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and MacKinnon are flying to Nashville today to meet the Avs ahead of their back-to-back this weekend. They’re bringing gold medals and the MVP of the tournament with them.

Catch my 10 Observations from the championship game — an epic battle that went all the way to overtime.

Read More: The Avs’ Pros and Cons of the 4 Nations Break

Turning the page to NHL hockey, the Avs are practicing today before boarding a flight. One more sleep until Avs hockey returns. Six games separate them from the trade deadline, which is just two weeks away. Buckle up.

Around the NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Sidney Crosby was among the many Penguins legends who paid tribute to Mike Lange.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Devils defenseman Seamus Casey is a big fan of 4 Nations. He’s also interested in suiting up for Team USA in best-on-best competition someday.

Florida Hockey Now: Catch all the notes and stats from the championship game, which ended when Connor McDavid scored 8:18 into OT for Canada.

Ottawa Hockey Now: Can you believe we’re already well into the third season of Claude Giroux’s contract with the Sens? The team has a decision to make with their hometown pending UFA veteran talent.

San Jose Hockey Now: Yaroslav Askarov suffered an injury in the AHL. He’s still being evaluated.

The post Deen’s Daily: MacKinnon the MVP; Canada Wins 4 Nations Face-Off; 2 Weeks Until Trade Deadline appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Connor McDavid scored the overtime game-winning goal on Thursday to crown Team Canada as the 4 Nations Face-Off champions over Team USA.

Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, and Cale Makar all played a big role in Canada’s accomplishments. MacKinnon was named MVP of the tournament — scoring four goals in as many games, and the blueline duo were Canada’s most-used skaters. An impressive feat for three guys who have just one day to celebrate before joining the Avs for an early puck drop in Nashville less than 48 hours later.

I’m not sure anyone in the NHL expected this tournament to play out as well as it did. That was hockey at its best. The moment McDavid scored began the timer on the 2026 Winter Olympics. We’re only 350 days away.

I can’t wait.

10 Observations

1. Canada scored the first goal in each of its four games in this tournament. Twice it was McDavid and twice MacKinnon. Big game players do big things in big moments.

2. I always love those iconic photos you get from tournaments like this. In 2010, Sidney Crosby and Scott Neidermayer were charged up right before they jumped into each other’s arms. This time, it’s McDavid and Toews.

February 28th 2010 / Febuary 20th 2025. pic.twitter.com/TE3msKD6Fd

— Dyl (@dhockey13) February 21, 2025

3. I hate to say it, but Jordan Binnington was an absolute stud in overtime. He’s a fascinating goalie. He’s inconsistent and flawed but he’s got the clutch gene. That’s what led to him winning a Game 7 at TD Gardens in 2019 before stomping on the Americans’ dreams six years later in the same building.

4. There was something funny about the game-winning goal being set up by Mitch Marner while Auston Matthews was the player that left McDavid wide open in the slot. If you’re a Maple Leafs fan, are you worried Matthews is gutted? Or excited to see Marner play a big role in a big moment? The answer is probably both.

5. Makar played more than 28 minutes and Toews was right on his tail at 27:27. It cannot be understated how much Makar meant to Team Canada. Losing him last Saturday was the difference.

6. Canada’s blueline was all sorts of flawed after losing Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Josh Morrissey. Their second pair in the championship game was a defenseman in Thomas Harley who was on his way to Cabo five days ago before suddenly joining the team and Drew Doughty — a 35-year-old veteran who made his season debut three weeks ago and was added to the team 10 days later.

7. I spoke about this in my podcast earlier in the week, but I had a sense going into this game that the Tkachuk brothers emptied the tank way too quickly in this tournament. It’s not even the same type of marathon as the Stanley Cup playoffs — it’s four games.

Surprisingly, Tkachuk, who is coming off two consecutive trips to the Final, was the one who couldn’t make it all the way through. Team USA needed both of them. Brady delivered, Matthew was struggling with an injury. They’ll both be back in 2026.

8. If I’m a Devils fan, I’m a little concerned about Jack Hughes looking like he didn’t belong in a best-on-best tournament.

9. MacKinnon scored a goal per game, won the MVP, and the championship. None of this will measure up to how he’ll feel if he could ever successfully convince Crosby to join him in Colorado. To be a fly on the wall when those two guys are talking.

10. I knew going into this tournament that MacKinnon and Makar are arguably two of the three best players in the world. But watching the respect they deservedly got from the hockey world over the past week or so was special. I try to say this as often as I can, but it’s worth remembering that we truly are blessed to get to watch these two guys at the peak of their careers.

The post 10 Observations: MacKinnon, Toews, Makar Win 4 Nations Face-Off With Team Canada appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Following Team Canada’s 5-3 victory over the Finns on Monday, the championship for the 4 Nations Face-Off is set. Canada will take on Team USA at TD Gardens in Boston, looking to avenge a 3-1 loss on Saturday.

Since the USA and Sweden match later on Monday will have no impact on the tournament, there was no point in waiting for that game before writing this piece.

It’s going to be an incredible finale. Hope you’re all excited to tune in.

10 Observations

1. I know it’s ultimately meaningless, but I hated the way Canada ended that game. There’s something about a killer instinct that was lacking from that entire third period and especially late when Finland scored three times to make it somewhat interesting with 1:17 remaining.

2. But like I said, it’s meaningless. Thursday’s rematch is for all the marbles. Nothing that’s happened before matters. And it’s important for the Americans to have that same mentality going into it.

3. Cale Makar returned after missing Saturday’s game with an illness. He played a team-leading 23:57 for Canada and was a +1 with four shots. Not bad.

4. Speaking of Makar, there’s been some talk that he’s dealing with an injury on top of the illness he recovered from. I’m not sure what the injury was and he didn’t look like he was laboring against Finland. It’s still something to keep an eye on.

5. Artturi Lehkonen’s tournament effectively ends with this loss. He’ll head back to Denver shortly. I wonder if he’ll partake in Wednesday’s practice. The Avs are back on the ice at Family Sports at 11 am on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. They’ll obviously be missing Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, and Makar.

6. Toews played 22:59. His ice-time went up with Makar’s return as head coach Jon Cooper trusts Toews more when he’s playing with Makar. Toews was a +1 and took the game’s only penalty.

7. Big-game performance for MacKinnon. He looked more like the guy who played against Sweden and less like the guy that the US neutralized. Need more of that on Thursday if Canada wants any chance to win this thing.

8. Connor McDavid also had a great start and scored the first goal. Loved Sidney Crosby’s performance too. Again, if Canada has any chance to win, they’ll need all of their top guys to step up. Strong performances from MacKinnon, Makar, McDavid, and Crosby will certainly help. I really do wonder what having Makar in the lineup can do against Team USA.

9. I loved everything about Crosby’s play on the empty-net goal. We already know he’s laboring a bit and probably isn’t playing at 100 percent. That didn’t stop him from laying the body on Mikael Granlund in what looked like an open-ice car crash. He then shot a knuckler into the empty net to put this thing away. Basically, the captain said that’s enough.

10. Jordan Binnington looked solid until he didn’t. You’re probably not going to build a 4-0 lead against Team USA if you’re Canada so you’ll need your starter to put in a 60-minute effort — or at least match Connor Hellebuyck save for save as much as possible.

The post 10 Observations: Makar Returns, MacKinnon Scores Twice; Lehkonen Eliminated appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.