VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (23-12-5) AT COLORADO AVALANCHE (26-12-3)
8:00 PM MDT | BALL ARENA | WATCH: ALTITUDE TV (WITHIN ALTITUDE MARKET | LISTEN: 92.5 FM
Colorado takes on Vegas at Ball Arena in the only home matchup for the Avs in the regular season. Both teams sit in second place in their respective divisions. The Golden Knights have recorded 51 points this season and the Avalanche have earned 55 points on the campaign. The Avs have won eight of their past nine home games coming into Wednesday night.
Latest Results:
January 8, 2024 COL: 4 BOS: 3 (SO)
January 6, 2024 VGK: 5 NYI: 2
BATTLING WITH BOSTON
The Avalanche got the best of the Bruins 4-3 in a shootout Monday night at Ball Arena. It was the team’s first shootout win at home this season and boosted Colorado’s league-lead in home wins to 17. This season the Avs are 8-4-0 against Eastern Conference opponents. Colorado is 5-1-0 in its last six meetings at home with the Bruins. The season series finale with the Bruins will be next Thursday in Boston.
AVALANCHE vs BRUINS 1.8.2024 RECAP
The Bruins kicked off the scoring in the first period when Brad Marchand tucked home a shot on the power play. Mikko Rantanen slapped a puck past Jeremy Swayman on the power play to level the game at one going into the first intermission. The Avs took the lead in the second period when Logan O’Connor forced a turnover and buried a puck over Swayman’s glove. Boston evened the game at two when John Beecher tallied his fifth goal of the season. Late in the middle frame, Sam Malinski snapped a wrist shot from the point through traffic and past Swayman. Marchand’s second goal of the game tied it up and sent the game to overtime. The Avalanche would kill off a power play to end the overtime period and force a shootout. Valeri Nichushkin tallied the only shootout goal to secure the victory for the Avs.
AVS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Nathan MacKinnon extended his season-opening home point streak to 22 games (16g/29a) with an assist on Rantanen’s goal. It stands as the fifth-longest such streak in NHL history. Additionally, he is one game shy of Joe Sakic’s point streak in franchise history, regardless of start date.
The centerman’s season-opening home point streak remains the fifth-longest in NHL history, but is now one game shy of jumping into a tie for the third-longest (Wayne Gretzky - 23, 1983-94 and Phil Esposito - 23, 1973-74).
Rantanen’s goal extended his point streak to five games (3g/4a) and Makar pushed his point streak to four-games with an assist (1g/6a).
Colorado’s top line all recorded career-high ice times, Mackinnon registered 30:22, Rantanen played 30:23 and Drouin recorded 28:16.
HISTORY
The Avalanche own a 13-9-1 all-time record against the Golden Knights, with a 6-3-1 mark at home, outscoring them 24-19. The Golden Knights got the best of the Avalanche in the first meeting this season 7-0 on November 4 at T-Mobile Arena. Colorado won last year’s season series 2-1-0, winning the lone away game and splitting two matchups at Ball Arena.
ICING THE ISLANDERS
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the New York Islanders 5-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. Vegas had dropped four of their previous five games before Saturday’s victory. Jack Eichel blasted a slap shot past Ilya Sorokin’s blocker to open the scoring. The Islanders tied the game when Mathew Barzal found the back of the net before the first intermission. Vegas extended their lead to 3-1 in the middle frame when Pavel Dorofeyev and Nicolas Roy each lit the lamp. Eichel snuck a snap shot past Sorokin’s glove for his second goal of the game, this one on the power play to extend the lead to 4-1. Matt Martin tallied the last goal of the game for the Islanders, his second of the season. Roy tallied his second of the game to conclude the scoring and seal the victory.
STATS TO KNOW
Rantanen and MacKinnon led the Avs in goals and points in the season series against Vegas in 2023-24. They both recorded 3g/1a over the three head-to-head meetings.
Alexandar Georgiev started all three games last season against the Knights. He posted a .947 SV%, stopping 89-of-94 shots faced. He recorded a .949 SV%, saving 56-of-59 shots in the two matchups at Ball Arena.
Ross Colton recorded a career-high six shots on goal against the Golden Knights on January 29, 2022, as a member of the Lightning.
VEGAS ACES
Eichel leads the Golden Knights in points (42) and goals (18) this season.
Mark Stone has recorded points (2g/8a) in eight of his past nine games played.
The Golden Knights have let in the eighth-fewest goals of any team this season with 111.
NUMBERS GAME
48
Makar has recorded the second-most points among blueliners this season in the NHL with 48 points (9g/39a).
11
Nichushkin ranks second among all NHL skaters with 11 power-play goals.
92
Mackinnon has recorded the most shots on goal against the Golden Knights franchise with 92.
QUOTE(S) THAT LEFT A MARK
“There was a lot of high-end talent out there. Both sides have great players and lots of good plays were being made. It’s always fun to get in those fast-paced games against quality opponents.”
- Colorado RW Logan O’Connor defeating the Bruins
