MacKinnon and the Avalanche visit the Senators

Colorado Avalanche (29-16-6, third in the Central Division) vs. Ottawa Senators (18-24-11, seventh in the Atlantic Division)

Ottawa, Ontario; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Nathan MacKinnon leads Colorado into a matchup against Ottawa. He’s fourth in the league with 73 points, scoring 30 goals and recording 43 assists.

The Senators are 12-9-6 at home. Ottawa leads the league with 12 shorthanded goals, led by Chris Tierney with four.

The Avalanche are 15-9-2 in road games. Colorado leads the league with 6.2 assists per game, led by MacKinnon averaging 0.8.

The teams meet Thursday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Duclair leads the Senators with 34 points, scoring 21 goals and registering 13 assists. Connor Brown has collected three goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Ottawa.

MacKinnon has recorded 73 total points while scoring 30 goals and totaling 43 assists for the Avalanche. Andre Burakovsky has recorded 14 points over the last 10 games for Colorado.

LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 5-3-2, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.2 penalties and nine penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .906 save percentage.

Senators: 2-2-6, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.3 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .926 save percentage.

INJURIES: Senators: Vladislav Namestnikov: day to day (lower body).

Avalanche: None listed.