Avalanche at Ducks
Few would have thought that Sunday's game between the Colorado Avalanche and host Anaheim Ducks would be played with the clubs separated by only one point in the Western Conference. But that is the situation as Colorado and Anaheim are among four teams who appear to be battling for the final three playoff spots in the West with the Avalanche the odd team out at the moment.
Anaheim sits one point behind third-place Los Angeles in the Pacific Division while in possession of a wild-card spot in the conference after a 2-1 overtime victory over the Kings on Friday. Colorado, which scored a costly 5-0 victory over Chicago on Friday, can move into wild-card position with a victory Sunday and get within two points of doubling its season point total of 48 from a season ago. The Avalanche won the first two of three meetings this season - both 3-1 - with backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier making a total of 50 saves in defeating his former team twice after the Ducks won the previous four encounters by a combined 16-6. Bernier will get a chance to make it three straight as Semyon Varlamov is out for the season after suffering a lower-body injury Friday while Erik Johnson, Colorado's top defenseman, is out six weeks with a fractured patella.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360, Altitude (Colorado), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (42-28-8): Coach Jared Bednar simplified Colorado's present state, telling reporters: "We have to take care of our business, that's all we can do. I know those teams are playing each other a little bit. All we can do is take care of what we can control, play our games and try to get points every night. At the end, the chips will lie where they do. We'll either be in or we're out. The most important thing is we're coming ready to play and to compete for those two points every night. The only standings that matter is next Saturday." Nathan MacKinnon (team highs of 38 goals and 93 points) has picked a bad time to endure his worst four-game stretch since October with only an assist after recording 13 goals and 27 points during a 14-game point streak. Tyson Barrie recorded a goal and two assists Friday, giving him a career-high 55 points in only 64 games, and his minus-10 rating is a big improvement from the minus-34 he recorded last season.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (40-25-13): Rickard Rakell (team highs of 32 goals and 66 points) has 18 points (10 goals) in his last 15 games after scoring in overtime Friday. John Gibson is 6-1-1 with a .938 save percentage and 1.85 goals-against average in his last eight games after making 28 saves versus Los Angeles, including a pair of point-blank opportunities from Adrian Kempe and Tanner Pearson in the final minute of regulation. Nick Ritchie (nine goals) scored Friday, his second tally in the last four games, while Ondrej Kase (18 goals, 36 points) recorded a pair of assists against Los Angeles for his first points in four contests.
OVERTIME
1. Bernier is 18-11-2 with a 2.82 goals-against average and .913 save percentage after playing the final 6:25 and making three saves.
2. Anaheim is 19-for-21 on the penalty kill over its last nine games and 32-for-33 over its last 13 home contests.
3. The Avalanche are 17-9-2 with Varlamov not dressed this season and 9-2-5 minus Johnson.