Coyotes at Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have come a long way since finishing with a franchise-worst 48 points last season as they continue their push toward a playoff spot when the Arizona Coyotes pay a visit on Saturday afternoon. Colorado is adding points despite three straight losses - all in overtime - with Thursday's 5-4 setback in Columbus putting it one behind Los Angeles for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
"We found a way to carve a point, but we need to get some more pucks in traffic to the net," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters. "We'll take the point. I don't think we deserve the point (Thursday). We certainly have to be better than that." Where Colorado has been better is at home as its 23-8-2 record at the Pepsi Center is among the league's best, and it is 13-1-1 in its last 15 there since a 3-1 loss to Arizona on Dec. 27. The Coyotes are coming off a 2-1 victory at Vancouver on Wednesday and are 9-2-2 over its last 13 games, but remain last in the NHL with 53 points. The teams split the first two of three meetings this season as Carl Soderberg scored twice in Colorado's 6-2 victory in Arizona on Dec. 23 - his first of three two-goal games this season with the last coming Thursday.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, FS Arizona Plus, Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE COYOTES (21-34-11): Clayton Keller is fourth among NHL rookies with a team-high 48 points and tied for fifth with a club-best 18 goals after scoring four and assisting on eight during Arizona's strong run. "Last (13) games, he's got a lot of juice," coach Rick Tocchet told reporters. "You can tell there's no hitting the wall. I really feel this last month he's going to finish strong." Derek Stepan (43 points) scored the game-winner and added an assist Wednesday, giving him four points in his last three games.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (35-24-8): Nathan MacKinnon is fifth in the NHL in points with 79 - trailing leader Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay by eight despite playing seven fewer contests - and has seven goals and seven assists in a seven-game point streak. Defenseman Tyson Barrie (nine goals, 44 points in 53 games) scored Thursday and has three goals and four assists during a five-game point streak. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier (17-11-2, 2.82 goals-against average, .914 save percentage), who hasn't played since Feb. 16 because of a concussion, will practice Friday before Bednar determines whether he is ready to return as Semyon Varlamov (18-13-6, 2.87, .913) went 4-2-4 while making the last 10 starts.
OVERTIME
1. Colorado is 11-for-33 on the power play over its last nine games with MacKinnon scoring four times, Mikko Rantanen (22 goals, 66 points this season) adding three and captain Gabriel Landeskog (22, 49) providing a pair.
2. Coyotes D Alex Goligoski (nine goals, 30 points, 23:13 average ice time) could return after missing the last two games to witness the birth of his child.
3. Avalanche LW Sven Andrighetto (six goals, 18 points in 38 games) returned Thursday after missing 28 contests with a lower-body injury and played on the fourth line with C Dominic Toninato and Gabriel Bourque.