AVALANCHE (28-25-12) at DUCKS (24-32-9) 4 p.m. ET, FS-W, ALT, NHL.TV
The Avalanche are 5-1-1 over the past two weeks. They are two points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference and one point behind the Arizona Coyotes. Colorado earned points in six straight games before a 4-3 loss at the San Jose Sharks on Friday. The Ducks have lost five straight games (0-5-0), combining for five goals in that span.
Players to watch
Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen has six points (four goals, two assists) in a six-game point streak. He scored with two seconds left in overtime and assisted on two goals in a 4-3 win in Anaheim on Nov. 18. Ducks forward Devin Shore scored his first NHL goal against the Avalanche and has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 12 games against Colorado, his most points scored against any NHL team.
They said it
"We have to be ready to play with that sort of intensity right from the drop of the puck." -- Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on his team's slow starts and strong finishes "(The Avalanche) are playing well, they're battling for a playoff spot. They've got some guys over there that can play hockey, so it's going to be a true test and, hopefully, we're ready." -- Ducks forward Corey Perry
Bednar said he "had some (defensemen) I didn't like back there" against the Sharks, and Graves is "in the mix" to return to the lineup against Anaheim. The rookie was scratched against San Jose when Cole returned after missing 11 games with a broken left orbital bone.
Stat pack
The Avalanche have combined to outscore their opponents 14-5 over the past seven third periods and are second in the NHL with 86 third-period goals. … Perry is tied with Getzlaf for the most games played in Ducks history with 971. Getzlaf has missed the past five games with an upper-body injury and is not expected to play against the Avalanche.
