Morning Skate Report: December 27, 2018

Fresh off the holiday break, the Vegas Golden Knights return to action against the Colorado Avalanche at 7 p.m. PT Thursday at T-Mobile Arena. The game will air on AT&T SportsNet, FOX Sports Radio 98.9/1340 and ESPN Deportes 1460.
NOTES
This is the first matchup of the season between the Golden Knights and Avalanche.
Vegas held a record of 2-0-1 against the Avalanche during the 2017-18 season.
LAST TIME OUT
Goals from Tomas Nosek, Reilly Smith and Ryan Reaves helped Vegas reach overtime against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, but a goal from Tyler Toffoli in the extra session propelled the visitors to victory.

OPPOSITION UPDATE
Colorado has kept pace in the competitive Central Division so far this season. With a record of 19-12-6, the Avalanche sit in third place in the Central with 44 points.
Offense has been no problem for Colorado this season. Mikko Rantanen leads the NHL in scoring with 59 points (16G, 43A) through 37 games while linemate Nathan MacKinnon is third in the league with 56 points (22G, 34A). Captain Gabriel Landeskog leads the team in goals with 24.
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
KEYS TO THE GAME
Get That Last Goal: The Golden Knights suffered back-to-back 4-3 overtime losses on home ice at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings. They couldn't find the winning goal in either game and will need to make sure they've either won the game when the third period ends or be ready to get the clinching goal in overtime.
Fresh Fleury: Marc-Andre Fleury has been one of the top goaltenders in the NHL this season. He's had a heavy workload, but the three-day break for Christmas was some much-needed rest for the veteran goalie.