Canucks at Avalanche
The Vancouver Canucks attempt to bounce back from a disappointing loss when they begin their four-game road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. Vancouver had its four-game winning streak snapped Sunday, when it dropped a 3-1 home decision to Nashville. Defenseman Alex Edler gave the Canucks the lead with a power-play goal, but the Predators tied it in the second period and scored twice in the third to hand Vancouver its first loss since Oct. 24.
That setback was a 7-3 defeat at Colorado, which erased a 2-1 deficit with two goals in the second session and added four more in the third to record the highest total allowed by the Canucks this season. The Avalanche have gone 1-1-3 since that triumph, including a 3-2 loss to Anaheim on Sunday that began a three-game homestand. Dennis Everberg netted his first NHL goal and Nathan MacKinnon also scored as Colorado took a 2-1 lead before allowing two tallies in a 1:44 span in the second period en route to its first regulation loss in seven contests (2-1-4).
TV: 9 p.m. ET, RSN Pacific (Vancouver), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (8-4-0): Vancouver lost more than a game Sunday as defenseman Kevin Bieksa and Tom Sestito both went down with injuries. Bieksa exited late in the first period after being hit near his right eye with a puck, while Sestito departed in the middle session with a lower-body injury and was seen leaving Rogers Arena on crutches. Bo Horvat, who was drafted ninth overall in 2013, could make his NHL debut against Colorado after being recalled from Utica of the American Hockey League on Sunday.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (3-5-5): While Colorado struggled over the weekend, MacKinnon continued to heat up. After scoring his first two goals of the season in Thursday's victory over the New York Islanders, the reigning Calder Trophy winner totaled two tallies and an assist in losses to St. Louis (in a shootout) and Anaheim. Colorado, which ranks second in the league in penalty-killing, has not allowed a power-play goal over its last six games - going 25-for-25 in that span.
OVERTIME
1. The Canucks scored at least three goals in seven straight contests before Sunday's loss.
2. MacKinnon has matched a career high with his three-game goal-scoring streak. The 19-year-old also tallied in three straight contests from Jan. 27-Feb. 1.
3. Vancouver RW Radim Vrbata notched an assist Sunday, giving him a point in nine of his 12 games this season.