Avs Return Home to Face Golden Knights

The Colorado Avalanche (34-29-13) and Vegas Golden Knights (42-28-6) face off at 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday at Pepsi Center in the third and final contest of the regular season between the Western Conference foes.
The Avalanche is 2-3-0 all-time against the Golden Knights, with a 1-1-0 mark during the 2018-19 campaign. Colorado has a 2-0-0 record all-time versus Vegas at Pepsi Center. Ian Cole (three goals) and Derick Brassard (three assists) have both registered three points in four career games against the Knights, the most among any Avalanche skater.
The Avs will play four of their final six contests at Pepsi Center, beginning with the showdown against Vegas on Wednesday.

Last Time Out

In the second half of a home-and-home series against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Avalanche fell 2-1 in overtime at United Center on Sunday. It was Colorado's fifth consecutive contest earning at least a point (4-0-1). Alexander Kerfoot tallied his 12th goal of the season in the second period, as Tyson Barrie and Nathan MacKinnon picked up an assist each on the marker. Erik Johnson matched his season high with six blocked shots, and goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 40 saves through regulation and overtime. The performance was Grubauer's fourth game making at least 40 stops this season.
Vegas fell 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Monday at Enterprise Center. William Karlsson netted a power-play tally for the Golden Knights on assists from Colin Miller and Jonathan Marchessault in the second period, and goalie Malcolm Subban stopped 19 shots in the loss.

Last Time They Met

The Avalanche shutout the Golden Knights 3-0 on Feb. 18 at Pepsi Center. Andrew Agozzino scored his first career NHL goal and added a helper, as Tyson Jost and Matt Calvert also lit the lamp in the win. Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Nieto each recorded assists, while Colorado netminder Semyon Varlamov registered 40 saves in his second whitewash of the year. Malcolm Subban made 35 saves between the pipes for Vegas.

What To Watch

Heating Up
Including the 3-0 St. Patrick's Day shutout victory against the New Jersey Devils, the Avalanche has compiled a 4-0-1 mark in five contests, tied for the league lead with nine points since the holiday. In that stretch, the Avs share first place in goals against in the NHL, allowing just six markers in five outings.
Defense Activated
In the last 10 games, the Avalanche defense has accounted for seven goals and 13 assists. Tyson Barrie leads the way with five markers and four helpers in those contests, while Erik Johnson and Ian Cole have each found the back of the net once and have both added two assists. Samuel Girard has four helpers and Patrik Nemeth has accounted for one assist over those matchups.

Players To Watch

Colorado: Center/Left Wing Colin Wilson
The 29-year-old has registered four points (one goal, three assists) in his last four games for Colorado. In 59 games for the Avalanche this season, Wilson has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists), surpassing his season total from a year ago when he recorded 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 56 appearances.
Vegas: Right Wing Mark Stone
Since being acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 25, the Winnipeg, Manitoba, native has posted eight points (four goals, four assists) in 13 games with his new club. Stone has reached the scoresheet in three of his last four contests against Colorado, totaling four goals in that stretch.

Lineup Notes

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said following Tuesday's practice that forward Matt Nieto and defenseman Mark Barberio have both been cleared to play after each skater missed significant time with lower-body injuries. Bednar did not say where either player would fit into the lineup. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer has made the last five starts for Colorado, including playing in both games of the club's back-to-back set against the Chicago Blackhawks over the weekend.

The Details

Wednesday's clash between the Avalanche and Golden Knights is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT. The game can be watched on NBCSN or streamed on select devices with the NBC Sports app 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.