Avalanche Hosts Ducks on Military Appreciation Night

The Colorado Avalanche (30-28-12) faces off against the Anaheim Ducks (28-35-0) at Pepsi Center on Friday at 7 p.m. MT in the third and final meeting of the regular season for the Western Conference foes.
The Avalanche franchise holds a 41-33-17 all-time record against the Ducks, including a 22-17-5 mark on home ice. Colorado has gone 1-1-0 in the two previous matchups this season, both of which were played at Honda Center in Anaheim.

Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen have each registered a goal and two assists in the previous two outings against Anaheim to share the team lead in points against the Southern California club.
After the clash against the Ducks, the Avs finish their four-game homestand with an afternoon battle versus the New Jersey Devils at 1 p.m. MT on Sunday at Pepsi Center.

Last Time Out

The Avs fell 3-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday at Pepsi Center. Colorado netminder Philipp Grubauer made 30 stops in net, his 11th performance with 30 or more saves this season. The Avalanche killed the only penalty it took as the club outshot Carolina by a 38-33 margin. Rookie Andrei Svechnikov led the Hurricanes in scoring with two goals and an assist.
Anaheim began a back-to-back set on Thursday with a 6-1 loss at the Arizona Coyotes. Jakob Silfverberg scored early in the second period to cut the Ducks' deficit to 2-1, but Vinnie Hinostroza soon tallied three straight markers for a natural hat trick and gave Arizona a commanding advantage on the scoreboard. Anaheim goalie Ryan Miller played the entire contest and stopped 18-of-34 shots.

Last Time They Met

The Ducks beat the Avalanche 2-1 on March 3 at Honda Center. Jakob Silfverberg and Cam Fowler scored Anaheim's two goals before Derick Brassard lit the lamp for Colorado in the third period. Carl Soderberg and J.T. Compher recorded assists on the marker, but the Avs could not complete the comeback despite a strong push in the third period. Avalanche netminder Philipp Grubauer made 21 saves and John Gibson stopped 25 shots for the Ducks.

What To Watch

Duck, Duck, Goal
Coming into Friday's matchup, the Avalanche has tallied a marker on the man advantage in five consecutive matchups against Anaheim dating back to Oct. 13, 2017. In those contests, the Avs have totaled seven power-play goals and are 29.2 percent with the extra man (7-for-24). This season, Colorado ranks eighth in the league with a 22.4-percent success rate on the man advantage.
Mile High Advantage
Since Feb. 18, the Avalanche has won five of its last seven outings on Pepsi Center ice, going 5-1-1. The Avs have outshot their opponents in six of those seven contests and have registered at least 34 shots on goal in each game. Colorado won both home outings last season versus Anaheim.

Players To Watch

Colorado: Center Derick Brassard
The Hull, Quebec, native has scored two goals in eight games since being acquired by the Avalanche on Feb. 25. In the last outing against the Ducks, Brassard reached the back of the net and now has 449 career points (174 goals, 275 assists) in 774 NHL games.

Anaheim: Right Wing Jakob Silfverberg
Coming into Friday night's matchup against the Avs, Silfverberg carries a seven-game point streak (five goals, four assists) and leads his team with 21 goals this season. In 17 career games versus Colorado, the Gavle, Sweden, native has totaled 13 points (seven goals, six assists).

The Details

Friday's clash between the Avalanche and Ducks is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT. The game can be watched locally on Altitude or streamed on select devices with the AltitudeNOW app (in market) or NHL.tv (out of market). The radio broadcast can be heard on Altitude Sports Radio FM 92.5 in the Denver area or online at ColoradoAvalanche.com.
The game is the Avalanche's annual Military Appreciation Night, with the organization honoring servicemembers throughout the evening. The Colorado players will wear special camouflage jerseys during warmup that will then be signed and auctioned off online at ColoradoAvalanche.com.
Tickets for the game are still available.