Avalanche Weekly Update - Feb. 27
Colorado will play three games at home this week
by Danielle Bernstein / ColoradoAvalanche.com
Avalanche Notes
HOME SWEET HOME: Colorado is 21-8-1 on home ice this season and winners of 11 of its last 12 outings at Pepsi Center, outscoring opponents 43-19 during that stretch. The Avs are averaging 3.5 goals per game inside the friendly confines, which ranks fifth in the league in scoring at home.
MacKINNON SOARING: Nathan MacKinnon has totaled 49 points (20g, 29a) on home ice this season, which leads the league in home scoring. MacKinnon notched his ninth game-winning goal of the season on Monday, which is tied with Tampa Bay's Brayden Point for second in the NHL and the most by an Avalanche player in a single campaign since Marek Svatos recorded nine in 2005-06.
BARRIE'S RECORD NIGHT: Tyson Barrie became the first defenseman in Avalanche/Nordiques franchise history to record five points in a game with a goal and four assists on Feb. 20 at Vancouver. His four assists tied a franchise mark for a rearguard. All five of Barrie's points came with the man advantage, the first NHL defenseman to tally five power-play points in a game since Tomas Kaberle for Toronto on Oct. 26, 2009 at Anaheim.
Upcoming Games
Wednesday, February 28 vs. Calgary Flames
Pepsi Center, 7:30 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 950 AM
Just four days removed from their last matchup, the Avalanche and Flames clash again, the third and final meeting of a three-game season series. The Flames took the first two contests, winning 3-2 at Pepsi Center back on Nov. 25 and 5-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Saddledome.
Friday, March 2 vs. Minnesota Wild
Pepsi Center, 7 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 92.5 The Wolf
Colorado hosts Central Division-rival Minnesota on Friday night, the third of four total meetings this season and the last time the Wild will visit Denver in 2017-18. The Avs are 1-0-1 against Minnesota, falling in a shootout on the road on Nov. 24 and winning 7-2 at home on Jan. 6.
Sunday, March 4 vs. Nashville Predators
Pepsi Center, 1 p.m. MT, TV: Altitude, Radio: 950 AM
The Avalanche wraps up a four-game homestand on Sunday, as the Central Division-leaders make their first of two trips to Pepsi Center. Colorado has already played two games at Nashville, and the Predators will return on March 16 to close out the four-game season series.
Player Spotlight: Mikko Rantanen
Rantanen notched his 20th goal of the season in Monday night's win over the Canucks, marking the second consecutive season he's reached the 20-goal mark. The tally was also Rantanen's team-leading 24th power-play point of the season, and with nine man-advantage goals, he's now tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the club lead.
Quotable
"I liked the way our whole team played actually tonight. I thought we had four lines going and did a lot of good things. We were better defensively than we have been in some of the recent games on the road."
-Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar following the team's 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks Monday