Avs Close Out Season Series Versus Coyotes

After a four-game homestand, the Colorado Avalanche hits the road for one contest, taking on the Arizona Coyotes in Glendale on Monday night. It's the third and final matchup of the season between Colorado and Arizona and the second of two at Gila River Arena. The teams have split the first two games of the series with each squad winning on the road.
The Avalanche is 42-26-10 all-time against the Arizona franchise, including a 21-14-4 record on the road in the overall series. Colorado has won five of the last six at the Coyotes in the series.

Last Time Out

The Avalanche finished a four-game homestand with a 4-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. Matt Nieto scored to get the Avalanche on the board first, but the Senators scored the next four goals to take a commanding lead. Sven Andrighetto potted his first marker in an Avalanche sweater, the Avs' only power-play tally of the night, with 12 seconds remaining.
Arizona enters Monday's contest following a 5-4 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The Coyotes held a 4-0 lead early in the second period before the Devils rallied to come within one just 17 seconds into the third. Anthony DeAngelo's tally at 13:31 of the final frame stood as the game winner for Arizona, which finished 2-for-3 on the power play.

Last Time They Met

The Avs and Coyotes last played on Nov. 8 at Pepsi Center, where the Coyotes won 4-2. Colorado led 2-1 in the middle stanza off goals from Rene Bourque and Nathan MacKinnon, but Arizona notched three unanswered to earn the win. The Avalanche was 1-for-1 on the power play while holding the Coyotes to a lone goal on four man-advantage opportunities.

What to Watch

Avs Offense
Colorado's offense has averaged 2.66 goals over its last three contests, a markedly increased level of production over its 1.96 goals per game average for the season. Tyson Barrie has notched four points (one goal, three assists) through his last three outings, and MacKinnon has markers in two of Colorado's last three games. Andrighetto notched his first goal in an Avalanche jersey since being acquired by the team on March 1 and now has a point in three consecutive games--a career-high point streak-- and in three of his four total contests with Colorado.
Coyotes After Two
Arizona is 15-0-4 when leading after two periods this season, just one of five teams in the league without a regulation loss when carrying a lead into the final frame of regulation.

Player to Watch

Colorado: Center John Mitchell
Mitchell's 54.9 faceoff win percentage ranks second on the team (among players who have taken 300 or more draws) behind league-leader Matt Duchene. Against the Senators on Saturday night, he finished 12-for-13 at the faceoff circle, a 92.3 percent success rate that ranks sixth among all single-game faceoff performances in the NHL this season (of players who took 10 or more draws in a game).
Arizona: Right wing Radim Vrbata
Vrbata leads the Coyotes in scoring at home this season with 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) and has three points (one goal, two assists) through the first two games of the season series. An Avalanche draft pick (seventh round, 212th overall in 1999), Vrbata began his career with the Avs and has registered 14 goals and 26 points in 39 career contests against his former team.

The Details

Monday night's game between the Avs and Coyotes begins at 8 p.m. MT and can be watched live on Altitude TV. The radio broadcast can be heard on Altitude Sports Radio AM950 or online at ColoradoAvalanche.com.