Avalanche at Golden Knights
Two of the NHL's biggest surprises - the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche - complete their home-and-home series Monday in Nevada in what could be a first-round playoff preview. Colorado prevailed 2-1 in a shootout Saturday in Denver to maintain its hold on the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference as it moves closer to doubling its 48-point total from 2016-17.
“We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog told reporters after scoring the only goal in Saturday's shootout. “We know we have seven games left to polish up things and ultimately get wins and points. We’re going to need all of them. So we’re going to stay within the process like we talked about all season long.” Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon is enjoying an MVP-type season but the Avalanche are pinning their hopes on goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who is expected to play his 21st straight game Monday and make his 19th start during that span. “I feel pretty good, what can I say?” Varlamov told the Denver Post. “I’m going to feel even better if we make the playoffs. That’s why we’re here. We want to make the playoffs. And that’s why we’re battling every game.” Vegas boasts a six-point lead over San Jose for first place in the Pacific Division despite a 6-5-3 stretch in its last 14 games has slowed the greatest inaugural season in NHL history.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific; Altitude (Colorado), AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (41-26-8): MacKinnon (team highs of 38 goals and 92 points), who is among the league leaders in points, had his 14-game point streak halted Saturday after accumulating 13 goals and 14 assists during the run. Mikko Rantanen (27 goals, 80 points), MacKinnon's linemate, was also held off the scoresheet Saturday, snapping an eight-game point streak in which he totaled five goals and 11 assists. Carl Soderberg returned to the lineup Saturday after missing two games because of illness and scored his 16th goal of the season, tying his career high set in 2013-14 with Boston in his first full NHL season.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (47-21-7): Marc-Andre Fleury missed Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss at San Jose after taking a shot off the mask in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over Vancouver but returned Saturday and made 39 saves, telling reporters: "l felt good, I was back to normal. It felt good to be back with the boys again." Jonathan Marchessault scored for the second time in three games Saturday, increasing his team-leading point total to 69. Erik Haula, whose 28 goals are one shy of matching his total from the previous two seasons combined with Minnesota, has recorded only one assist in the last four games after registering four goals and an assist in the previous three contests.
OVERTIME
1. Vegas, Nashville, Boston and Winnipeg are the only teams in the top 10 in goals scored and fewest goals allowed.
2. Colorado G Jonathan Bernier was scratched from his back-up role Saturday after an upper-body cut became infected.
3. The Golden Knights (26-9-2 at home) have won two straight at T-Mobile Arena since dropping four in a row on friendly ice.