Morning Skate Report: Avs Reset, Ready For Knights

LAS VEGAS--Rested and refocused after four days off for the NHL Holiday Break, the Colorado Avalanche aims to get back to the brand of hockey it displayed earlier this season, beginning tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights.
"It couldn't have come at a better time for us, to be honest with you," Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said of the break. "The mental break, the physical break, we've been banged up with a couple different injuries and we weren't playing our best hockey, that is for sure. That is when you want to take a break like that. Kind of get refreshed mentally and a few days off with friends and family, enjoy Christmas, and now we come back and got to get ready to work."

The Avs lost their last two contests before the league-mandated time off and are 3-6-1 in their last 10 outings. This recent skid comes after the team had a 9-0-2 stretch.
The break in the schedule was a chance for the players to unwind from the game, as the NHL doesn't allow any practices or other team activities during that time.
"It's nice to step back from the game for a few days, kind of reset," said defenseman Tyson Barrie. "We were kind of up and down the last 10 games before the break, so it's nice to kind of reflect a little bit and narrow back in your focus and get ready for a big tilt tonight."

Colorado showed what it is capable of in its last game on Saturday at the Arizona Coyotes, despite losing in the end. Down 4-1 entering the third period, the Avalanche scored three unanswered goals to tie the contest. However, an outside shot through a screen and an empty-netter were ultimately the difference that led to the Coyotes winning 6-4.
"It was two opposites of the way that we can play," said Nathan MacKinnon of the game in Arizona. "We played so poorly in the first two periods. Just our intensity, we can control our effort and mindset. Everyone can do that. It doesn't matter how good you are or how much talent you have. Everybody can work your hardest. I think we did that in the third, and hopefully we can do that tonight."
The Golden Knights will be a good test for the Avalanche. Despite being 2-1-3 in their last six contests, the defending Western Conference champions are starting to play as they did during last year's historic inaugural campaign.

Vegas is led by its top line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith, who have combined for 35 goals and 84 points this season. While not as dominant as the Avs' No. 1 trio of MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen--who have a combined 62 goals and 158 points--keeping the Knights' trio in check will be paramount for Colorado.
"You have to be physical with them. You got to skate to check," Bednar said of Vegas' line. "I think you got to smother them any chance you get, not give them too much room to work. Same with most top lines in the league, the more time you give them and the more space you give them, the more dangerous they become."

ZADOROV OUT

Nikita Zadorov will miss his third-straight contest with a lower-body injury, Bednar said following morning skate.
"He skated yesterday on his own. It didn't go very well, and he's not on the trip and not able to play for us today," Bednar said of the defenseman. "I don't know any more than that. I would say he's still day-to-day."
Taking his spot in the lineup will be Ryan Graves, who was recalled from the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League. Graves, who has skated in 254 AHL contest, will be playing his first game in the NHL.
View: Avalanche at Golden Knights Projected Lineup

CAPTAIN MacKINNON

Earlier today, the league announced that Nathan MacKinnon was named captain of the Central Division team for the 2019 NHL All-Star Game.
MacKinnon, who has 22 goals and 44 assists for 56 points this season, is the only player in the NHL to be in the top 10 in all three scoring categories. He is presently third overall in points, trailing only linemate Mikko Rantanen (59) and the Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov (58).
"I think it is great that he was named that," Bednar said of the honor. "I think it is very deserving. I think after the season that he had last year and the start that he's had this season, I think he's put himself among the top players in the world, and for him to represent the Central Division as a captain is very fitting."

MacKinnon was chosen as captain by a fan vote and is the first Avs player to be named a team captain at the All-Star Game since Joe Sakic in 2007. The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native will be going to his third straight mid-season classic, becoming the first Colorado player to accomplish such a feat since Rob Blake from 2001-02 to 2003-04.
"It's nice for sure," MacKinnon said. "A lot of support from everybody in Colorado in my six years… It's cool. When I look back at my career, it is something that I'll be happy for."
The event will take place on Jan. 26 in San Jose, California, and will once again feature a three-game, 3-on-3 tournament with teams from each of the NHL's four divisions.