Colorado Returns to Ball Arena for Game 5 of Series with Vegas

After dropping two straight contests in Las Vegas, including a 5-1 loss in Game 4 on Sunday, the Colorado Avalanche returns to Ball Arena in search of regaining the series lead on Tuesday in Game 5 of Round 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Brandon Saad scored the lone goal for the Avs--his sixth of the playoffs--while Andre Burakovsky and J.T. Compher each picked up an assist on the tally. For Vegas, Jonathan Marchessault registered his first career postseason hat trick and William Karlsson added three assists on the night as 10 different Golden Knights players found the scoresheet.

Colorado tallied the first goal in the matchup before Vegas responded with five unanswered markers of its own, as the contest ended with a 35-18 edge in shots in favor of the Golden Knights.
The best-of-seven series is tied at 2-2 and will now feature at least six contests, with Game 6 scheduled to be played on Thursday in Las Vegas. If necessary, the set will return to Denver for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday. It is the first time the Avs will play a Game 5 this postseason, while the Golden Knights are 0-1 in such outings.

Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Ball Arena | Denver, Colo.
| Game Time: | 7:00 p.m. MT | | --- | --- | | TV: | NBCSN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports | | Radio: | Altitude Sports Radio, FM 92.5 (KKSE) | | Live Streams: | NHL.tv, Official app, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app (blackouts apply) | | Online Audio: | Listen Live Here | | Follow: | @Avalanche, Official app, Gamecenter |

COLORADO-VEGAS CONNECTIONS

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare played two seasons with Vegas after the team selected him in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft… Golden Knights defenseman Nick Holden played three seasons with Colorado from 2013-2016.

HISTORY

Through the first four contests of the second-round series, both squads have controlled home ice. Colorado picked up a 7-1 win in Game 1 and a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 2 at Ball Arena, while the Golden Knights managed to hold their own at home as well, earning victories of 3-2 and 5-1 in Games 3 and 4, respectively, at T-Mobile Arena to even the set. The Avalanche holds a 2-2-1 all-time playoff record against Vegas, with a 2-0-1 mark as the home team.
The Avs gave up just three goals in the first two meetings at home versus Vegas, while putting up 10 of its own on the scoreboard. The Avalanche has also dominated the special-teams battle when playing at Ball Arena, converting on 36.4 percent (4-for-11) of its man-advantage opportunities compared to the Knights' 20.0 percent-conversion rate (1-for-5). On the penalty kill, Colorado has gone 4-for-5 (80.0 percent) and given up just one goal, while Vegas has killed 7-of-11 power plays (63.6 percent) and has allowed four markers when visiting the Avs.

ROSTER REPORT

The Avalanche used the same lineup on Sunday as it did in Game 3, but some changes could be coming heading into Game 5. The squad had an off day on Monday, but head coach Jared Bednar said that he is looking at all of the different options from a lineup standpoint. That includes possibly inserting rookie defenseman Bowen Byram, who has yet to make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut after missing the end of the regular season with an upper body injury.

INJURY UPDATE

• Matt Calvert (upper body): Out long term after requiring surgery and is doubtful to return this year.
• Pavel Francouz (lower body): Expected to return fully healthy next season after having surgery earlier this year.
• Erik Johnson (upper body): Has been skating on his own and in small groups, but there isn't a timetable for his return yet.
• Logan O'Connor (lower body): Could return to game action soon as he has been participating in team skates.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS

The Golden Knights have gained some momentum heading into Game 5, as the club has won two straight, outshooting the Avs 78-38 and owns plus-5 goal differential (8-3) in the two-game span. One major cause for this momentum shift from Games 1 and 2 to Games 3 and 4 has been the play of Vegas' second line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. The line has combined for 10 points over the stretch, as Marchessault has four goals, Karlsson has collected one goal and three assists and Smith has recorded two assists.
While Vegas has produced two strong performances to tie up the series, the team has lost three straight on the road in the postseason and has scored just three goals over that stretch. Overall, the Golden Knights hold a 2-3 mark when away from home in these playoffs, while tallying 2.4 goals per game and giving up 3.0 markers per contest.

(AVS) PLAYER TO WATCH: ANDRE BURAKOVSKY

While Andre Burakovsky has yet to find the back of the net this postseason, the forward will look to break through in the goals column and continue his solid play after recording assists in two contests against the Golden Knights--with one of them coming on Colorado's lone goal in Game 4. The forward has been one of the Avs' consistent producers on the offensive end this year, finishing fourth in both goals (19) and points (44-tied) in the regular season. With his offensive talent and playoff experience, Burakovsky is bound to light the lamp and continue to be the dynamic player he's been all season for the Avs.
In 79 career postseason contests, the Swedish forward has compiled 16 goals and 22 assists to go along with a Stanley Cup championship with the Washington Capitals in 2018 against Vegas. His 79 games in the playoffs are the second-most on the Avs' roster behind just Brandon Saad, who has appeared in 89 Stanley Cup Playoff matchups.

(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT

The 30-year-old has taken over the series on the offensive end for the Golden Knights, as he notched his first career playoff hat trick on Sunday and tucked the game-tying goal in Game 3. Marchessault has totaled four goals and two assists against the Avs after collecting just one goal in the entirety of the first round against the Minnesota Wild. The forward leads the squad in both goals and points (six) versus Colorado, while his five goals overall rank first and his seven points are tied for second on the roster in the playoffs.
All time, Marchessault has registered 20 goals and 24 assists in 58 postseason games with Vegas. He is the franchise leader in goals, owns the second-most points (44) and is tied for the third-most assists in a Golden Knights sweater in the playoffs.

NUMBERS GAME

11

Nathan MacKinnon has collected 11 (seven goals, four assists) of his 13 postseason points (eight goals, five assists) this year at Ball Arena. His 11 points are the second-most on home ice in the NHL, just one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov.

13+21

Colorado has won 13 straight contests at Ball Arena--dating back to March 29--and has not fallen in regulation in 21 consecutive matchups on home ice, going 20-0-1 over the stretch. The club is 2-0 against the Golden Knights on home ice and 4-0 overall this postseason.

137

The Avalanche has played a heavier game in the second round as the club has registered 137 hits against the Golden Knights through the first four games, which is 71 more than the team delivered in the entire four-game set versus the St. Louis Blues in Round 1 (66).

NOTEBOOK

The Avalanche sports a 21-10 all-time record in Game 5s in best-of-seven series since moving to Denver in 1995-96, with a 5-1 mark in its last six such matchups… Brandon Saad has tallied a goal in six of his last seven contests, and his six goals this postseason rank second on the Avs and tied for fourth in the NHL… Colorado is the only team in the league to own a perfect record on home ice with a 4-0 mark this postseason… Philipp Grubauer has posted a 4-0 record at Ball Arena and stopped 117-of-124 shots (.944 save percentage) for a 1.73 goals-against average. Of netminders who have played in three or more games at home, Grubauer has allowed the least amount of goals (seven-tied) and owns the best save percentage and third-best goals-against average… The Avalanche is 13-11 all-time in playoff series when splitting the first four games, including posting an 8-6 record since moving to Denver… The Avalanche has given away the puck just 58 times in the postseason, the least amount of turnovers among teams who are still in the postseason. Against the Knights, the Avs have 27 giveaways compared to Vegas' 32.