Early look · NHL 2026-27

Chicago Blackhawks at Colorado Avalanche: game preview

ChicagoBlackhawks2026-27: 1-3-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 29-39-14 · 72 pts · 31stat

ColoradoAvalanche2026-27: 2-0-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 55-16-11 · 121 pts · 1st

Puck drop13 Mar · 6:00 PM ET

VenueBall Arena

All-time meetings132 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Forty-nine points apart last season

Chicago finished last season 31st in the league on 72 points. Colorado finished 1st on 121, and the 2025-26 season series went COL 3-0-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 133

Across 132 completed games, Colorado lead the head-to-head 80-39-13.

All-time record80-39-13Colorado's record in the series

Meetings played132This is number 133

2025-26 seriesCOL 3-0-0

Last 55-0Colorado

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

20 Mar 2026COL 4 – CHI 1——COL

28 Feb 2026CHI 1 – COL 3——COL

23 Nov 2025COL 1 – CHI 0——COL

2 Apr 2025COL 3 – CHI 2 SO——COL

10 Mar 2025CHI 0 – COL 3——COL

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateChicagoColorado

23 Nov 202510-8-4 · 24 pts24th16-1-5 · 37 pts1st

28 Feb 202621-23-8 · 50 pts27th35-6-9 · 79 pts1st

20 Mar 202626-31-12 · 64 pts30th45-13-10 · 100 pts1st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 23 Nov 2025, Chicago were 24th in the league and Colorado 1st. By 20 Mar 2026 it was 30th and 1st.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Colorado out-attempted Chicago 214 to 135

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Chicago Blackhawks

135 att · 57 on goal · 2 G · 3.5%

Crease12 att · 0 G

Slot42 att · 1 G

Wing54 att · 1 G

Point23 att · 0 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Colorado Avalanche

214 att · 110 on goal · 8 G · 7.3%

Crease16 att · 0 G

Slot81 att · 4 G

Wing68 att · 3 G

Point41 att · 1 G

Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Colorado have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

ChicagoColorado

2.41xG for per game3.16

3.83xG against per game2.55

38.7%xG share55.4%

−0.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.7

−1.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.1

This season: 4 games for Chicago, 2 for Colorado. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Chicago

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2711.1%

Power play · 2025-2616.9% · 29th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2763.6%

Penalty kill · 2025-2683.6% · 2nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2742.1% · 99/235

Drawn · 2026-279 (2.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Colorado

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2744.4%

Power play · 2025-2617.1% · 27th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2684.6% · 1st

Faceoffs · 2026-2746.8% · 58/124

Drawn · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Chicago

Expected starter after their game on 10 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Colorado

Expected starter after their game on 11 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Chicago crease

CHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Mar

Spencer Knight.8913 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.5

Arvid Soderblom.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.0

No appearances against Colorado in the last meetings.

Colorado crease

COL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Mar

Mackenzie Blackwood.9122 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.1

No appearances against Chicago in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

20 Mar 20265 · COL 4–1 CHI

28 Feb 20264 · CHI 1–3 COL

23 Nov 20251 · COL 1–0 CHI

2 Apr 20255 · COL 3–2 CHI

10 Mar 20253 · CHI 0–3 COL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Chicago2.254.252.603.35

Colorado7.002.503.682.48

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.3Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings3.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct

Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov

Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct

Colorado · injuries

Georgii MerkulovUndisclosedIRReturn16 Oct

Logan O'ConnorLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Trent MinerUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Zachary L'HeureuxLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

3 Oct · CHI

Assigned D Charles Alexis Legault to Chicago (AHL).

24 Sep · CHI

Agreed to terms with F Oliver Moore on a five-year contract extension. Loaned Fs Jiri felcman, Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker and D Dylan Anhorn to Rockford (AHL). Assigned F Brett Seney to Rockford.

21 Sep · CHI

Placed D Derrick Pouliot on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed LD Keaton Middleton, LD Wyatt Aamodt, RW/LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and LW Tristen Nielsen on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed D Keaton Middleton, D Wyatt Aamodt, LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and G Mads Sogaard Nielsen on waivers.

25 Sep · COL

Reassigned Ds Domenick Fensore, Saige Weinstein and Christian Wolanin to Colorado (AHL).

Injury report

Chicago · 2026 draft

See all: Chicago · 2026 draft →

#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD

#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW

#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D

#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD

Full draft

Colorado · 2026 draft

See all: Colorado · 2026 draft →

#43Egor ShilovRound 2 · VictoriavilleC

#74Beckett HamiltonRound 3 · Red DeerC

#126Tobias TvrznikRound 4 · WenatcheeG

#128Axel ElofssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.D

Full draft

Saturday 13 March · the full slate

See all: Saturday 13 March · the full slate →

COLThis game 6:30 PM ET

Updated after every final

Chicago Blackhawks at Colorado Avalanche: game preview

Forty-nine points apart last season

Meeting number 133

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Colorado out-attempted Chicago 214 to 135

Chicago Blackhawks

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Chicago

Colorado

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Chicago crease

Colorado crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

7 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

Colorado · injuries

Latest moves

Chicago · 2026 draft

Colorado · 2026 draft

Saturday 13 March · the full slate