Colorado is the hottest team in the NHL right now, but that storyline is secondary in its matchup against Washington on Thursday night in Denver.
While the Avalanche have put together a nice run, Capitals star Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of history is the dominant theme in this clash of Stanley Cup contenders.
Ovechkin has been sitting on 698 career goals for the past two games, and while it has created quite a buzz it has also been somewhat of a distraction. Ovechkin had a hat trick against Los Angeles last week to put him within two goals of 700 but he hasn't scored since.