WASHINGTON — It’s a rare occurrence to play any team in the NHL twice in six days, but especially when it’s a club from the other conference.

The NHL schedule makers have provided an interesting opportunity Thursday night for the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs will get a second crack at the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals in less than a week.

They will have a chance to measure themselves against one of the league’s best outfits, though the Capitals will be missing a huge piece. But it will also offer an opportunity to atone for arguably the worst offensive effort of the season to date.

“I didn’t like our game at all,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said of a 5-2 loss Friday at home to the Capitals. “I liked our game in Philly, and there’s some similarities to some of the things they do, especially shot blocking and keeping pucks off their net. Last game, it seemed like we just didn’t want to skate with the puck against (the Caps). It’s tough to find shooting lanes, passing lanes, to be dangerous offensively that way.

“I think with our team, as you get to know them, if the energy is down for some reason, then they’ll start forcing things. We’ll try to make them play standing still instead of skating. It certainly looked like that in the Washington game.”

Colorado faced the top-two shot-blocking teams in the NHL in its past two games, with very different results. The Avs had 64 shot attempts against the Capitals, but only 19 were on target. They produced 1.52 expected goals — easily the worst output of this season.

Three days later, the Avs encountered a different version of the same plan and struggled to get pucks through in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers. But then adjustments were made, and the Flyers, quite frankly, are not in Washington’s weight class. The result was 29 shots on goal, 2.56 expected goals and a 3-2 victory.

“They were pretty smothering in the o-zone,” Avs defenseman Josh Manson said of the Capitals. “The forwards said it felt like they were all around them. It was also hard to get shots through from the point. They push hard on the points when you get the puck and they fill lanes well.

“We found a way against Philly to get the shots through. I think we can do it against (Washington), but we’ve got to maybe move it a little bit more.”

The Caps will not have Alex Ovechkin, whose march to breaking the all-time goals record is now delayed because of an injury he sustained in the third period of Washington’s last game in Utah. Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals with 15. At age 39, it’s an incredible feat.

But this Washington team is much improved from last season, and it’s not just because Ovechkin is scoring more goals. Second-year coach Spencer Carbery, who played for Bednar with South Carolina in the ECHL and later coached the Stingrays as well, has made a significant impact on a club that was fading from contender status as Ovechkin and others from the Cup-winning core aged.

“I don’t know the situation before. I just know that he’s a great coach,” Bednar said of Carbery. “He’s a young coach, he’s relatable to the guys. He’s detailed in his approach. All the things that you kind of need and want from the coaches to provide. And obviously, the guys like him, like his personality, because they’re playing hard for him every night.

“It’s the way they play. It is a confidence that he can instill in the team, that if they play the right way they can get the job done. … It’s a belief that he’s instilled in the room on top of everything else, that he brings. I think his impact on the team is immeasurable.”

This Avalanche team is still trying to figure out what it’s going to be. The Washington game last week was the first one of the year for Valeri Nichushkin and included the return of Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood.

Now, the Avs are closer to full health and need to begin their ascent. Correcting the mistakes from last week against a top opponent would be a good place to start.

“They are a team that defends hard, and they attack hard and make it tough on you with their depth,” Bednar said. “But we had to do more. We knew that coming out of it. We corrected some things against Philly and were able to get the win. Now we’ve got to take it another step against Washington.”

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With 15 years’ hindsight, Russell Westbrook has some nitpicks for his first career triple-double.

He can remember the opponent on command. Oklahoma City hosted the Dallas Mavericks that day. And he can remember the stat line. Two-thirds of it, at least.

“I only had 10 rebounds and 10 assists,” Westbrook recalled in the visiting locker room on Beale Street.

There might have been just the slightest trace of his trademark scowl as he reminisced as if he was restraining a shred of actual disappointment that his 20-year-old self didn’t do better.

“I don’t like those triple-doubles,” he said. “I like a 17, 15 and 14 type of joint, personally.”

Two hundred of these things will have that effect.

With 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists off the bench, Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to amass 200 triple-doubles in a career on Tuesday night. It was his first with the Nuggets. He now has 19 more triple-doubles than Oscar Robertson, whose record he broke in 2021.

“I’m truly grateful to be able to play the game long enough to be able to do that,” Westbrook said after Denver’s 122-110 win over the Grizzles. “But I’m also appreciative of the ones who came before me. And to be able to set the table, I’m grateful for that as well. Great night. My teammates made it easy for me and allowed me to go out and compete, and I’m grateful for the entire journey.”

The 36-year-old buried a 3-pointer to reach 10 points with 9:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, stymying a Memphis run suddenly landing him within one rebound of history. But with 5:52 go to, he was substituted out of the game, which Denver led by only eight.

Westbrook admitted the potential triple-double was on his mind as he checked back in two minutes later.

“You know what, normally it’s not crazy (on my mind),” he said. “But you know, I needed to get one. So I got it. I got an offensive rebound for my only one tonight.”

The milestone-clinching moment? A missed 3-pointer by Nuggets center Dario Saric with 1:25 left. On a night the Nuggets lost 19-12 on the offensive glass, Westbrook reeled in a vital rebound that allowed them to extend their possession with a 115-110 lead. Saric redeemed himself by draining a game-icing three with 28 seconds left.

Will Westbrook do anything to thank Saric for the helpful miss?

“Nah, I thank him for making the next one to close the game,” he said, laughing.

Denver’s backup point guard is averaging 6.0 assists per game this season and 11.6 per 48 minutes. He received the game ball Tuesday for obvious reasons, but coach Michael Malone awarded him with the team’s bejeweled “Defensive Player of the Game” chain as well. Early in the second quarter, the coaching staff directed Westbrook to guard Memphis power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. — a matchup in which Westbrook gives up 6 inches. Moments later, he took a charge to draw Jackson’s third foul, sidelining him for several minutes while the Nuggets established a double-digit lead.

“The best part about it for me is, Russ wants that,” Malone said. “Yes, we feel confident. But he’s a guy that is a competitor. He’s a fighter. He wants to guard the biggest dude out there, and he’s never going to back down.”

Westbrook finished the night with two steals and a block at the defensive end. His offense was inconsistent, but his play-making for teammates was so resounding that he was able to maintain an exceptional assist-to-turnover ratio even with five turnovers.

The assists were among his best of the season. A no-look dish to DeAndre Jordan for a transition dunk. A nonchalant bounce pass from the elbow to a cutting Christian Braun. A baseline inbound from the corner that threaded the needle to Michael Porter Jr. for an and-one.

“If I got one triple-double, I would be pretty happy,” Braun told The Denver Post. “But watching him and just his relentless approach to the game, it’s just every single night. Every walk-through. He does everything the same way. He plays hard.”

Braun noticed Westbrook’s stat line on the big screen during the fourth quarter and pointed it out to DeAndre Jordan, a longtime friend of Westbrook and fellow 2008 draftee. “Yeah, that’s for 200,” Jordan responded. Braun, who was drafted 14 years later, didn’t realize Westbrook had been sitting on 199.

“All-time NBA leader,” Malone said, “and the cool thing about it is, the guy that’s going to break his record is on his team right now.”

The irony of the occasion Tuesday was the absence of that player. Nikola Jokic was home in Denver, where he stayed all weekend for family reasons, missing the Nuggets’ three-game road trip. He has six triple-doubles in 10 games this season, bringing his career total to 136. He’s two away from tying Magic Johnson for third in NBA history.

“Nikola’s one of the best in the world,” Westbrook said. “Not ‘one of.’ Is the best in the world. … He’ll be back. And he’ll take over from there.”

Jokic is only 29, plotting a reasonable course to catch Westbrook by the end of his career. Even if he does, Westbrook’s pedigree as a historical figure in the sport is unlikely to be affected. He is beloved by younger players, including those on rookie contracts in Denver right now. Westbrook has said one of the appealing aspects of playing for the Nuggets this season was the mentorship opportunity he would have on a young roster.

“Everywhere you go, Russ is the biggest celebrity you could be around,” said Julian Strawther, who is 22. “Everybody loves Russ. He’s just a great guy and a great teammate. He’s in here just leading guys. And the things he’s done for the game, it’s hard to put into words. Two hundred triple-doubles is a lot. I don’t even know if I’ve got 200 career games.”

Westbrook decided to take a guess at the last part of his stat line from March 2, 2009. “Maybe I had 17 or 19,” he said. His memory didn’t fail him. The Oklahoma City Thunder rookie scored 17 points in that win over Dallas.

He wasn’t as picky about those numbers at the time.

“Hell no,” Westbrook said. “Hell no. No, I couldn’t have been. Not at all. That’s my first one. Now we’re at 200.”

Dalton Knecht was once ignored by NBA teams with draft picks ahead of the Lakers. Now he's a hot-shooting rookie who has earned the NBA's attention.

Dalton Knecht can't seem to miss from three-point range en route to tying an NBA rookie record and scoring 37 points as the Lakers defeat the Utah Jazz.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Maybe the NBA Cup just means more. Or maybe the Nuggets realized they needed to approach the final game of their three-game road trip with better energy after getting crushed by the Grizzlies’ physicality two days earlier.

Jamal Murray bounced back with 27 points, Russell Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to record 200 career triple-doubles, and the Nuggets held off a furious late comeback to end their trip up the Mississippi River with a 122-110 win over the Grizzlies.

Memphis narrowed a 25-point Denver lead down to five in the last two minutes, but Dario Saric buried a dagger 3-pointer with 27.7 seconds left, giving his team a 118-110 lead while he was sitting on five fouls.

Westbrook finished the night with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in 32 minutes. Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points despite shooting 0 for 4 beyond the arc, the rarest of stat lines for him. Christian Braun went for 19 points, six rebounds and three steals. It was more than enough to finally survive a game without Nikola Jokic. The third try was the charm. Now Denver (8-5) is 1-1 in the group stage of the NBA Cup with Dallas visiting Friday for the next game.

“We’re not always going to have the luxury of being able to rely on one person,” Peyton Watson said before the game. “… Without him, our mindset should change. I don’t think that it should stay the same. I think we should all take it upon ourselves that we have more responsibility.

“… I think that’s something that’s a privilege, being able to be in these situations and be counted on and have the pressure on us. Because that’s not every night.”

Defensive stats told the story of the changed mindset early. Seven Nuggets were credited with a steal in the first quarter alone. Watson’s presence was dynamic. Westbrook had one of the best sequences of his season on a four-possession stretch. On offense, consecutive assists for dunks. On defense, an effective close-out against a Jay Huff three and a pick-pocket steal.

Even Murray, whose shot was not falling early in the game, made up for it with good defensive energy. He and Julian Strawther, whose defense was called out by Malone on Sunday, both had two steals at halftime.

The Nuggets wanted to get Murray into a shooting rhythm after a lackluster first two games of the trip. He appeared frustrated after an early fast break when Braun passed to Saric under the basket instead of an open Murray on the 3-point line. Not long after, he missed his first outside attempt from that exact spot on the left wing. After a couple more misses, he passed up an open three in the corner to drive baseline.

His teammates had his back. The Nuggets played through Porter’s hands, and he got to the rim. They played through transition leak-outs. They played through their defense. Strawther made a stunning block of Jaren Jackson. Westbrook was moved into the Jackson matchup early in the second quarter and took a charge to draw Jackson’s third foul.

The officials were not allowing much contact from either team. Saric was on the bench with two early fouls, and when he checked back in for Vlatko Cancar, he immediately picked up his third, sending Cancar back to the scorer’s table. Saric and Watson both sat with four fouls early in the second half. Watson fouled out with 2:25 to go after Denver seemed set on closing the game with him at the five.

Cancar was providing good minutes at the backup five until a stroke of awful luck. After throwing down a vicious driving dunk, he landed and instantly couldn’t put much weight on his left leg. In the summer of 2023, he tore his ACL in the same knee. This time, the Nuggets determined the injury was a sprain. Cancar didn’t return to the game.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar exited a game against the Grizzlies with a sprained left knee on Tuesday night and did not return.

Cancar finished a driving dunk in the second quarter and immediately couldn’t put weight on his left leg. He asked for a sub while grabbing his left knee — the same knee in which he tore his ACL in 2023, causing him to miss all of last season.

The Nuggets ruled Cancar out officially at halftime.

He was dealing with a right ankle injury early this season but has played minutes at backup center on Denver’s current road trip with Nikola Jokic out due to personal reasons. Before sustaining the injury Tuesday, Cancar had five points and four rebounds in 11 minutes, backing up Dario Saric.

The Nuggets re-signed Cancar on a one-year veteran minimum contract this offseason as he prepared to return from the ACL tear.

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WASHINGTON — Alexandar Georgiev’s time as the Colorado Avalanche’s No. 1 goalie hasn’t always been smooth, but he has shown a propensity for rebounding from the lowest points with some of his best work.

It turns out he might not be the only netminder on the roster who has that ability.

Justus Annunen had the worst start of his NHL career Friday night, allowing three goals on six shots against the Washington Capitals before being pulled in favor of a goalie, Trent Miner, with no NHL experience. He followed that up with 24 saves in a 3-2 win Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“He had a great game,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I thought to keep it at zero that long to allow us to build a lead is what I needed to see from him. It was a bounce-back game, not just for Justus but for our whole team.

“We had an underwhelming game at home against (the Capitals). The result showed that. We wanted to be better and they were.”

The Flyers sat back defensively and tried to absorb Colorado’s offensive pressure. They focused on blocking perimeter shots and getting in passing lanes to avoid chances close to their net.

That type of play often leads to a lot of downtime for the opposing goalie. The Avs had the puck for most of the first period, racking up 30 shot attempts (10 were on goal).

Annunen knew early on that he wasn’t going to see a lot of shots if the Flyers continued to play that way, but the ones they got were likely to be on counterattacks and off the rush. His ability to handle the infrequent, but sometimes dangerous chances kept the Avs on the front foot and allowed them time to eventually break down the Philadelphia shell.

“(Annunen) was great. He’s been great all year,” Avs center Casey Mittelstadt said. “Had some big saves, especially at the beginning there when the game was a little slowed down. Heck of a job from (Annunen) for sure.”

After the Avalanche built a 3-0 lead, the Flyers finally got more aggressive. Annunen did allow a pair of goals — one on a long wrist shot through traffic that Bednar said his goalie would like to have back, and one on an odd play in his crease.

For the second time this season, the Avs gave up a goal when they thought their goalie had the puck covered up but the official saw it differently.

“Just a weird scramble at the net,” Avs defenseman Cale Makar said. “Nobody saw the puck and the ref was just kind of sitting there. I didn’t know where it was or what was going on. I feel like (Annunen) played well today.”

This isn’t the first time Annunen has responded after a bad outing. His first two appearances this season were in place of an ineffective Georgiev, and neither went well. He allowed two goals on four shots against Vegas, and then two quick ones against Columbus before settling in as well.

He won five of his six starts after that, compiling a .908 save percentage before getting pulled against Washington at Ball Arena. Now, Annunen might get a shot at another type of redemption.

The Avs are in the nation’s capital to face the Capitals again Thursday. Georgiev is on the trip and skated after the team Monday. If he’s not ready, Annunen should get a second crack at the club that’s currently atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Alex Ovechkin won’t play after getting injured Monday night against Utah, but the Caps have been rolling of late. And while Annunen’s overall numbers have been solid the past two seasons as Georgiev’s understudy, he hasn’t played much against the best teams in the league.

Both of Colorado’s goalies have had rough outings to start this season, and both are trying to stabilize things as the rest of the roster gets healthy. Annunen did that Monday against the Flyers.

“It’s all you can ask from him is to give us a chance to win,” Bednar said. “That’s what he did.”

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The new action-sports league being launched by Shaun White will air on NBC beginning next year.

White announced earlier this year that he was putting together The Snow League, a four-stop circuit that will feature halfpipe snowboarding and freeskiing. On Tuesday, the league and NBC revealed that the first event is set for March 7-8 in Aspen, with the rest of the schedule still to be announced.

White plans on getting 20 men and 16 women in each contest for a prize pool of more than $1.5 million over the first season. A list of athletes who have committed to the league is expected later this year.

The debut in Aspen will come 11 months before the start of the Winter Olympics in Italy, also set to be carried by NBC.

White, a three-time Olympic gold medalist who retired after the 2022 Games in Beijing, said a key reason for starting the league was to bring together the world’s top action-sports stars, who often divide time between a number of circuits, including the Dew Tour and stops on the Grand Prix and X Games tours.

“In the end, we really want to be that premier thing, where it’s amazing to go to the Olympics and win a medal, but this is like winning Wimbledon or the NBA finals. It’s almost more prestigious,” White said in an interview earlier this year.

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PHILADELPHIA — Cale Makar is the ultimate weapon when another team tries to park the bus.

It took the Colorado Avalanche a while to find a way through against the Philadelphia Flyers, but eventually, Makar scored twice in a 3-2 win Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.

“It felt like we were rolling offensively,” Makar said. “When the forwards are moving it around, it is fun for us as ‘D’ — we can move around up top and create space. I thought it was working well for us tonight.”

For much of the game, the Flyers tried to defend the Avalanche with a plan that looked like something Manchester City or Arsenal face in the English Premier League. The Flyers, missing a couple of key defensemen and playing their third-string goalie, retreated into a shell around their net and focused on blocking shots and taking away chances in the high-danger area.

After the Avs built what looked like a comfortable 3-0 lead, the Flyers did make a game of it. Owen Tippett scored on a long-range shot with 8:12 remaining in the third period, then Tyson Foerster dug the puck out from behind Justus Annunen for another one less than two minutes later.

Before that quick flurry, it was all Colorado. The Avs had 30 shot attempts in the first period, including 16 scoring chances according to Natural Stat Trick, but only 10 shots reached goalie Alexei Kolosov. They dominated possession of the puck, often with lengthy forays into the offensive zone.

“I really liked our game tonight for 52 minutes,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “The guys played hard. We were committed on the defensive side of it. We had a lot going on on the offensive side of it.”

Eventually, the dam broke in the second period — courtesy of Makar.

Devon Toews carried the puck into the offensive zone, then left it for Nathan MacKinnon. The reigning MVP found Makar cutting toward the middle of the ice, and the defensemen went right down Broad Street before ripping a wrist shot past Kolosov at 8:30 of the period.

Makar scored again from almost the same spot a little more than two minutes later, but it was waived off after Philadelphia challenged for goalie interference. No matter, his second goal of the night came later in the period on the power play.

The Avs have faced a couple of teams recently that tried to pressure them on the perimeter when they had the extra man. This was the opposite of that. Given plenty of time and space, the Avs pinged the puck around until Makar found a shooting lane at the top of the zone and blew one by Kolosov with the help of an Artturi Lehkonen screen.

“He got two, and I’m not sure about the third one that was disallowed,” Bednar said. “He got into some good areas on some nice plays on our team. … He picked the right spot to get up in the rush, especially on the entries into the o-zone.”

Colorado made it a 3-0 game after a weird sequence of penalties. MacKinnon was called for a pair of minors — tripping and then unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing about the trip. Then the Flyers took a pair of penalties in short succession that led to a 4-on-3 for the Avs.

Casey Mittelstadt put home the rebound of a Mikko Rantanen shot shortly after the 4-on-3 ended. It ended up being the game-winning goal.

“We knew they were going to push,” Mittelstadt said. “We don’t want to give up those goals in the third, but I think our effort in the first 50 minutes or so made up for it.

Johnson honored: Former Avs defenseman Erik Johnson played in his 1,000th game Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. The Flyers waited for 1,001 for a proper celebration, because Johnson spent 717 of those with the Avalanche. There was a video after warmups with congratulatory messages that included seven members of the current Avs roster.

Avs captain Gabe Landeskog took part in the ceremony, gifting Johnson a commemorative canvas print and a trip to Napa Valley. A second video just before the game included a message from former Broncos star Peyton Manning.

Scary scene: Referee Mitch Dunning was taken off the ice on a stretcher after a collision with Avs defenseman Josh Manson in the first period. Manson collided with Dunning near the offensive blue line. The NHL said Dunning was taken to a hospital for evaluation and that he was fully communicative, moving all of his extremities and all neurological signs were normal.

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