Colorado Returns to Ball Arena to Host Sharks

Following a four-game road trip in Southern California, the Colorado Avalanche comes home to host the San Jose Sharks for a two-game set at Ball Arena beginning on Tuesday.
The Avs fell 3-1 to the Anaheim Ducks in the final game of the seven-day trip on Sunday, finishing 2-2-0 during the stretch. Mikko Rantanen notched the lone goal for Colorado--extending his goal streak to five games--while Nathan MacKinnon picked up his sixth assist on the year. Andre Burakovsky returned to the lineup after missing three-straight contests due to an upper-body injury, logging 13:16 of ice time in the matchup.

San Jose enters Tuesday's contest coming off a 5-3 victory at the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. The Sharks received goals from five different skaters in the win, with goaltender Martin Jones stopping 26-of-29 shots for his third victory of the season. San Jose has played its first six games of the year on the road and rounds out its season-long, eight-game road trip in Colorado.
Tuesday's matchup is the first time the two clubs have met at Ball Arena in more than a year, with the last contest being played on Jan. 16, 2020. It is the first of eight games versus the Sharks and the first of four in Denver.

Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks

Ball Arena | Denver, Colo.
| Game Time: | 7:00 p.m. | | --- | --- | | TV: | Altitude (blackouts apply), NBCS-California (SJS), ESPN+ | | Radio: | Altitude Sports Radio, FM 92.5 (KKSE) | | Live Streams: | AltitudeNow.com, ESPN+, Official app (blackouts apply to all) | | Online Audio: | Listen Live Here | | Follow: | @Avalanche, Official app, Gamecenter |

COLORADO-SAN JOSE CONNECTIONS

Joonas Donskoi skated for San Jose in his first four NHL seasons from 2015-2019… Cale Makar and Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro were college teammates at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for two seasons from 2017-2019… Sharks forward Matt Nieto played the past four seasons for the Avs from 2017-2020… San Jose defenseman Nicolas Meloche was drafted by Colorado in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft (40th overall)… Sharks center Dylan Gambrell played at the University of Denver from 2015-2018… Avalanche video coach Brett Heimlich is from San Jose and spent 11 years with the Sharks organization from 2004-2015… San Jose head coach Bob Boughner finished his NHL career with the Avalanche from 2004-2006… Sharks NHL development coach Mike Ricci played for Colorado/Quebec from 1992-1998 and won a Stanley Cup with the Avs in 1996.

HISTORY

Colorado sports a 48-38-12 all-time franchise mark against the Sharks, including a 28-14-6 record as the home team. The Avs and Sharks are facing off as division foes for the first time since the 1997-98 season when the clubs were members of the old Pacific Division.
The Avs swept the Sharks in the two-game regular season series in 2019-20. Philipp Grubauer earned a 4-0 shutout at Ball Arena on Jan. 16, stopping all 27 shots he faced. The squads then met on March 8 in San Jose where the Avalanche pulled off a 4-3 victory, with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog each tallying one goal and two assists.
Colorado and San Jose met in the postseason for the fifth time in their histories in 2018-19, with the Sharks winning the second-round series in seven games. The Avs own a 2-3 record versus San Jose in the postseason.

ROSTER REPORT

In Sunday's game in Anaheim, Conor Timmins returned to the lineup while Ryan Graves was scratched for the first time this season. Defenseman Erik Johnson has not played the previous three games as he continues to work on his conditioning after missing all of training camp and the first two games of the season due to a positive COVID-19 test. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer has started the past two contests for Colorado.

INJURY UPDATE

Goaltender Pavel Francouz is expected to miss his fifth straight contest with a lower-body injury, suffered at practice on Jan. 18.

SCOUTING THE SHARKS

San Jose finished the 2019-20 season with 63 points (29-36-5), eighth in the Pacific Division. The organization missed the playoffs last season for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.
Through six games, the Sharks own a 3-3-0 record, splitting each of its first three two-game sets at the Arizona Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild. Forwards Tomas Hertl (three goals, four assists), Evander Kane (two goals, three assists) and defenseman Brent Burns (two goals, two assists) have led the way offensively for the club. Forward Patrick Marleau is tied (with Joe Thornton) for the all-time leading scorer against the Avalanche in Sharks history, with 27 goals and 25 assists in 70 games.
The Sharks possess a 4-5-1 mark in its last 10 outings when visiting Ball Arena.

(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: ERIK KARLSSON

The two-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner (2011-12, 2014-15) as the league's top defenseman has tallied three assists in six games this season. Karlsson is in his third campaign with the Sharks and 12th in the NHL, registering 606 points (135 goals and 471 assists) in 742 career games. Since entering the league in 2009-10, the veteran leads all active defenseman in points and assists, while ranking third in goals behind teammate Brent Burns (177) and the Montreal Canadiens' Shea Weber (171).
In 15 matchups against the Avalanche, Karlsson has averaged over a point per game (1.07), totaling one goal and 15 helpers for 16 points.

NUMBERS GAME

2

Samuel Girard is set to play in his 226th consecutive regular-season game on Tuesday, passing Karlis Skrastins for sole possession of the second-longest iron man streak by an Avalanche defenseman. Girard is currently tied with Skrastins (225) and behind Martin Skoula, who played 285 straight in an Avs sweater between Jan. 11 2000-April 4, 2003.

5

Mikko Rantanen is tied with four other players for the league lead in goals, notching five in six games. Rantanen has also scored a goal in five successive contests, extending his career-best goal streak.

29

Colorado has drawn 29 penalties so far this season, which is the second-most in the league behind the Vancouver Canucks (31). In 29 power-play opportunities, the Avs lead the league in man-advantage tallies with 10 goals and have spent 47:07 on the power play, second in the NHL behind Vancouver (49:01).

NOTEBOOK

The Avs have yet to allow a power-play goal against this season at home, going a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill in two games… J.T Compher is one assist away from 50 career helpers… The Avs own the fourth-best power play at home, scoring on 54.6 percent of their chances. Colorado is also tied with the Calgary Flames for the second-most man-advantage goals on home ice with six… Nathan MacKinnon is one game shy of matching Joe Sakic's franchise record of recording a shot in 227 straight contests, which Sakic accomplished from 1995-1999. He currently holds the longest current streak in the NHL, registering a shot in 226 straight games played.