It will be the third and final game between Colorado and Los Angeles this year. The Avs are 1-0-1 against the Kings so far this campaign, winning the first matchup 7-3 on Nov. 21 at Staples Center and losing the second one, by a 3-2 score in overtime on New Year's Eve in the Mile High City.
"I think we got to use our speed, that is always the case in every game, but especially against a team like the Kings," Gabriel Landeskog said of the matchup. "They are a big, heavy team and have a lot of experience, but when we play with our speed and play a north game then I think we will be fine and we saw that in the first game in L.A."
The Avalanche will continue the stretch of games at home on Monday with another afternoon affair against the Nashville Predators. Colorado then hosts the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday before taking eight days off for the league-mandated breaks. The Avs will conclude the home stay against the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 2 and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 5.
Colorado is currently tied with the Dallas Stars for the third playoff spot in the Central Division with 50 points, but the Avs have played one fewer game. Behind those two clubs are the Wild, Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks, who have all earned 49 points. The Canucks are close behind as well with 48 points.
"Look at the standings. Everyone is packed into within three points of one another fighting for those playoff spots, so every game is of the upmost importance," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said after Colorado's practice on Friday. "We are in a position now where we got three before the break, and we come out and it's a home loaded schedule the second half of the year because of what we went through the first half. It's going to be a real important homestand."
