The Colorado Avalanche host the Vegas Golden Knights in Denver on their only regular-season visit to the Mile High City on Friday night, with Colorado closing out its final weekend game of the regular season. The Avalanche are coming off a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night that clinched the Presidents Trophy and locked in home-ice advantage throughout the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Nathan MacKinnon scored his league-leading 52nd goal in the win over Calgary, and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 of 29 shots for his 22nd victory of the season. Colorado’s 36-26-17 record has already secured the Central Division, the Western Conference and the top spot in the league standings, giving this stretch less about survival than rhythm as the playoffs approach. The club is trying to keep its edge without overtaxing key players, a balance Jared Bednar said he is watching closely.
“I’d like to see all of our guys play games yet before the playoffs,” Bednar said. “If they’re able to play, we’ll get them as much rest as we can in between games, and then some guys, I’m going to try to get some guys a little bit of a breather that, I think, could probably benefit from it.”
Read Also: Nhl Playoff Picture Tightens With 12 Days Left as Atlantic Race Shifts
Colorado has handled Vegas well so far in the three-game season series, winning both previous meetings. The most dramatic came on Dec. 27 at T-Mobile Arena, when the Avalanche erased a 4-2 deficit at the start of the third period and won 6-5 in a shootout. MacKinnon scored the shootout-winner that night, one more marker in a season that has him sitting on 126 points and third in the league behind Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid.
The matchup also carries individual milestones into the final week. Martin Nečas is two goals shy of his first 40-goal season and two points away from his first 100-point season, giving Colorado another layer of production to watch as it tries to stay sharp. Scott Wedgewood is likely to start in goal, and a win would put him at the 30-win mark for the season.
Read Also: Avalanche Vs Blues: Colorado closes in on Central Division crown
The only real uncertainty for Colorado is health. Bednar said Nazem Kadri will need further evaluation before he can return to the lineup, while he expects Cale Makar to be back before the end of the season. With four games remaining, the Avalanche are past the part of the year where standings matter most and into the part where rest, timing and getting key players back in one piece matter more.
For Vegas, the trip is a final chance to test itself against the NHL’s top seed before the postseason begins. For Colorado, it is one more night to keep its form after a three-and-a-half-month hiatus from the league’s elite spot has turned into a springboard for the playoffs.
