Morning Skate Report: Andrighetto To Make Series Debut in Game 3

After being a healthy scratch for the first two contests of the series, forward Sven Andrighetto will be in the lineup for the Colorado Avalanche tonight at Pepsi Center for Game 3 of the Round 2 set against the San Jose Sharks.
Andrighetto enters game action as Matt Calvert is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Calvert was hurt after he took a hit from Brent Burns while assisting on the game-winning goal in Game 2 in San Jose on Sunday.
"It is a big loss for us because he fills in in so many different areas for us," head coach Jared Bednar said of Calvert. "No. 1, the penalty kill--he is a huge part of that. No. 2, that grit and sandpaper that he plays with. That physicality is something that we need in our lineup, and he is a guy that is usually a catalyst to that.

"You look at Game 2, with the exception of probably Tyson Barrie, he is the driving force behind the win and gets a couple big assists there. Ends up taking a hit to make the play on the last one, so he is going to miss a little bit of time. Hopefully we get him back here for Game 4."

This is the first time that Calvert will miss an outing all season, as he was one of four players to skate in every contest for Colorado. It was the first time in his NHL career that he dressed in all 82 regular-season games.
Calvert set a person high with 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) during the 2018-19 campaign and has added three assists in seven postseason outings.
Andrighetto played in Games 3, 4 and 5 of Colorado's first-round series with the Calgary Flames and averaged 7:59 of ice time. He skated in a career-high 64 contests during the regular season and recorded 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists).
He made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut last season with the Avalanche and played in all six outings of the first-round series against the Nashville Predators. Andrighetto netted the game-winning goal, his first career playoff point, in Game 5 of that set.
Calvert had been skating on a line with Matt Nieto and J.T. Compher in each of the first two contests of the series with San Jose. Bednar did not note who Andrighetto will be on a line with to begin Game 3.
VIEW: Avalanche vs. Sharks Game 3 Projected Lineup

TIED AT 1-1

The Avs and Sharks will both look to take the series lead tonight after they split the first two games at SAP Center in San Jose. The Sharks won 5-2 in the opener on Friday, and Colorado earned a 4-3 victory on Sunday.
"I think the primary goal in the first two games on the road is to try to get the split. If you can win two, that is even better obviously, but you have to get a split," said defenseman Ian Cole. "We got a split, mission accomplished in that sense. Still a lot of games left to play, still a long road ahead of us here. We are happy with the fact that we got a split and now our job is to win two at home. It starts with the one tonight and that is really the only thing we are thinking about."
The Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques are 13-7 all-time in best-of-seven playoff series when taking a 2-1 series lead, 12-5 since moving to Denver. Colorado also dropped its series opener to Calgary in the first round, yet rallied to win the series in five games.
"We know they are going to come out hard, and we got to be ready for it," Cole said of the Sharks. "They always come out with energy at the beginning of games and try to impose their will early, and we got to make sure we are matching that intensity or exceeding it. It is going to be a challenge, but a challenge we are excited for."

BACK AT PEPSI CENTER

The Avalanche has won both of its games at Pepsi Center this postseason and has eight consecutive home victories, since March 17.
"The energy has been so great here, it is certainly palpable and certainly something that we feed off of as a team," said Cole. "I had heard about the energy at the Pepsi Center, especially in the playoffs, when I got here and it certainly has lived up to all the hype, if not exceeded it. We are going to keep trying to feed off of that and show up with some energy."
Colorado is 13-2-1 in its last 16 outings at Pepsi Center, dating back to Feb. 18. The Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets are the only teams without a home loss so far in the 2019 playoffs.

STREAKING AVS

Nathan MacKinnon (four goals, seven assists) and Mikko Rantanen (five goals, six assists) have each recorded at least a point in the last six games.
They are the first Avalanche players to tally points in six consecutive playoff contests since Peter Forsberg (seven) and Joe Sakic (six) did it to open the 2004 postseason.
The six-game runs are tied for the longest in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, as Columbus' Artemi Panarin also has a current six-game streak.
MacKinnon has picked up a helper in his last five outings (seven assists), the longest assist streak in these playoffs and longest by a Colorado skater since Forsberg had a five-game stretch in 2002-03.

PLAYOFF TAILGATE

Once again,
the Avalanche will host a special tailgate party
, presented by Bud Light, in the Camry South Parking Lot on the west side of Pepsi Center before and during tonight's game. It is a rain-or-shine event, although guests will be encouraged to seek shelter should inclement weather occur.
The tailgate begins three hours prior to puck drop and features live music, food and drinks, as well as giveaways, including a pair of tickets to Game 3.
Fans that do not have tickets to tonight's matchup are invited to stay at the tailgate during the contest and watch it on a big screen outside. Chairs and food are welcome, but drinks of any sort are prohibited.
The game will be televised nationally in the United States on NBCSN and can be viewed online at NBCSports.com or streamed on select devices with the NBC Sports App. It can also be watched throughout Canada on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports.
Altitude TV will also have coverage pregame and postgame with Avalanche Face-off at 7:30 p.m. and the Avalanche Locker Room Report, which will begin immediately following the conclusion of the contest.