Colorado Heads To Dallas To Complete Back-To-Back

The Colorado Avalanche heads back on the road for a two-game swing starting in Dallas on Saturday night. It is the first of five meetings between the Central-Division opponents this season.
The Avs enter Saturday's contest on a three-game winning streak and now has a 4-1-0 record after beating the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night at Pepsi Center.

Colorado has won four of its first five games for the first time since the 2013-14 season (5-0-0) and has gained eight or more points through five games for the fifth time since moving to Denver.
The Avalanche is 40-30-8-9 all time (since 1995-96) against Dallas, including an 18-19-3-4 record as the road team in the overall series.

Last Time Out

The Avs topped the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Friday night. Mikko Rantanen and Sven Andrighetto each recorded two-assist nights, and Tyson Barrie notched his second game-winning goal of the season, which leads all NHL defensemen. Colorado finished 2-for-8 on the power play, and Jonathan Bernier made 17 saves against his former team.
Despite holding a 1-0 lead after the first period, Dallas fell to the Nashville Predators on Thursday, dropping to 1-3-0 on the young season. Jamie Benn notched the lone goal for the Stars, a power-play tally on what would be their only man-advantage opportunity of the night. Ben Bishop, who is also expected to start against the Avs on Saturday, finished with 27 saves.

Last Time They Met

Dallas defeated the Avs 4-3 in a shootout on April 8, 2017. After falling behind 2-0 early in the second period, Colorado rallied to take a 3-2 lead until Dallas' Tyler Seguin knotted the game at three just past the midway point of the final frame. Seguin was the hero in the shootout too, as he was the only player to score in the skills competition.

What to Watch

Back-to-Backs
Saturday's contest is the second game of a back-to-back set for Colorado, the first of 11 such sets for the Avalanche this season. The Avs also played 11 back-to-backs last year, finishing 2-8-1 in the first game and 4-7-0 in the second outing.
Avs Defense
Colorado has held its last two opponents to season lows in shots, limiting Boston to 23 shots on goal on Wednesday and Anaheim to just 18 on Friday. The Avs' eight combined shots allowed through two periods against Anaheim on Friday are the fewest its surrendered during the first 40 minutes.

Players to Watch

Colorado: Right Wing Sven Andrighetto
Andrighetto recorded his third straight multi-point game on Friday against Anaheim and has accumulated six points (three goals and three assists) in his last three outings. His six total points lead all Avalanche skaters, and his three goals are tied for the team lead.
Dallas: Defenseman John Klingberg
Klingberg registered an assist in the Stars' tilt with Nashville on Thursday night and now has points in four-straight games to start the season (two goals and three assists). His five points lead the Stars, and among NHL defensemen, he's tied for first in goals (two) and ranks fourth in points.

Lineup Notes

Semyon Varlamov is slated to start between the pipes for Colorado. Varlamov has a 12-5-2 career record against the Stars and is 5-2-1 when playing in Dallas, including wins in five of his last six road starts.

The Details

Puck drop between the Avs and Stars is set for 6 p.m. MT on Saturday. The game can be watched live on Altitude TV, and the radio broadcast can be heard on Altitude Sports Radio AM 950.