Maple Leafs at Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche won 12 of their first 13 games last season and didn't suffer their loss until Nov. 6. Exactly one year later, the Avalanche are trying to avoid their second four-game losing streak of the young campaign when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. Colorado surrendered five straight goals in a 5-2 setback to Vancouver on Tuesday, leading to a postgame meeting. "We talked amongst ourselves, and I think we'll keep that at that," captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "We have to be better."
Toronto had a three-game winning streak snapped in a 3-2 loss at Arizona on Tuesday, managing only five shots over the first 1 1/2 periods while falling behind by three goals. "It's a bad start," said captain Dion Phaneuf, who registered his first goal since March 16. "It's unacceptable to start that way. When you have a start like that it puts you behind the eight-ball and we were playing catch-up all night." The Maple Leafs outlasted the Avalanche 3-2 in Toronto on Oct. 14 on Phil Kessel's overtime goal.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN4 (Toronto), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (6-5-1): Toronto coach Randy Carlyle elected to give goaltender James Reimer a second straight start Tuesday even though Jonathan Bernier was 3-0-0 lifetime with a 1.15 goals-against average versus the Coyotes. "It wasn't goaltending that was the main issue for us," Carlyle told reporters. "'Reims' gave us a chance. That's all you could ask of your goaltender." Bernier, who has allowed a combined one goal in winning his last two starts, is expected to be back in net against the Avalanche in the second leg of Toronto's two-game road trip.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (3-6-5): Having already permitted a league-high 497 shots, Colorado's beleaguered defensive corps received another blow when coach Patrick Roy revealed Wednesday that blue-liner Mark Stuart could be sidelined for "weeks" due to a hamstring injury sustained in Tuesday's loss. Stuart has appeared in all 14 contests this season and was poised to play in his 1,000th career game against the Maple Leafs. With starting netminder Semyon Varlamov starting the past seven games, Roy give backup Reto Berra his fourth start of the season against Toronto.
OVERTIME
1. Kessel, riding a four-game point streak, has six goals in seven games against the Avalanche.
2. Colorado has killed off 29 consecutive penalties, its longest streak in one season since snuffing out 35 straight chances in 2001-02.
3. Toronto fell to 1-5-1 when its opponent scores first. The Maple Leafs are 5-0-0 when notching the opening goal.