Getty Washington goalie Vitek Vanecek looks for another big game against Colorado.
The Colorado Avalanche (1-1-0) and the Washington Capitals (1-0-1) both look to bounce back from weekend losses in Tuesday’s clash.
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
The game (7 p.m. ET start time) won’t be televised, but anyone in the US can watch the Avalanche vs Capitals live on ESPN+:
ESPN+ will have about 75 of these exclusive national NHL games (no blackouts for in-market viewers) this season. It also includes every out-of-market, non-nationally televised game (about 1,000 games in total), plus dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary in existence and additional original content (both video and written) all for $6.99 for a month or $69.99 for a year (or about seven cents per NHL game if you want to look at it that way). It’s a must-have option for NHL fans in the United States.
If you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $13.99 per month. Separately, the three streaming services would cost a total $20.97 per month, so you’re saving about 33 percent:
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch the Avalanche vs Capitals live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Avalanche vs Capitals Preview
In case Washington Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek can’t get enough, he faces another high-scoring team in the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
Vanecek contained the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning with 22 saves and two goals allowed in a 2-1 overtime loss on Oct. 16. He will likely start on Tuesday per NBC Sports Washington’s Andrew Gillis. Colorado comes into Washington with seven goals in its first two games.
“He’s certainly done his job,” Capitals coach Peter Laviolette told the media per Gillis. “He gives us a chance to win and he’s made some big saves.”
Washington gets some reprieve with Colorado coming in without its second leading scorer from last season. Star center Nathan MacKinnon likely can’t clear COVID-19 protocols in time for the game due to a positive test.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confirmed that according to NBC Washington’s Eduardo Razo. Colorado also has left wing Gabriel Landeskog out due a suspension for boarding in the opener.
The Avalanche, which opened with a 4-2 win over Chicago on Oct. 13, couldn’t catch the St. Louis Blues in a 5-3 loss on Oct. 16. Colorado had a chance to tie until 19.3 seconds left when the Blues scored on an empty net.
“We’re proud of the way we fought tonight, especially being down 4-1 late,” Avalanche forward J.T. Compher said per Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. “Nobody on the bench gave up. We’re proud of the effort.”
“Everyone stayed committed,” Compher added. “Like I said before, we never gave up.”
Compher and center Nazem Kadri came through for the Avalanche at St. Louis with two points apiece. Both will be on Vanecek and the Capitals defensemen’s radars.
Washington, which fell 2-1 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 16, won’t have star center Nicklas Backstrom back for Tuesday’s game.
“He’s at the beginning of the process,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said per NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan. “I don’t have the exact details. I can’t tell you the plan yet because I think they’re working through it. But he’s at the beginning.”
Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, meanwhile, continues his chase of Brett Hull in the record books.
Ovechkin, fifth on the NHL’s all-time scoring list, reached 733 career goals with three scores in the team’s first two games of the season. He needs eight more to catch Hall of Fame right wing Brett Hull, who had 741 career goals.
Tuesday’s game begins a three-game road trip for the Avalanche. They will play the Florida Panthers and Lightning on the trip.
Washington has owned Colorado of late, winning 10 of the 12 games in the all-time series.