Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
Having started their current four-game homestand with a defeat to Tampa Bay, the Vancouver Canucks (6th in Pacific Division) will be hoping for better luck against the Colorado Avalanche (4th in Central), who are riding a three-game winning streak.
The current winning run of the Colorado Avalanche (23-17-3) extended to three fixtures after the team started its latest three-date road trip with a 4-1 triumph against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday. Mikko Rantanen (31 goals, 56 points this year) and Artturi Lehkonen (14 goals, 32 points) buried two snipes each, as the Avs took a 3-0 lead in the opening frame before being awarded a goal after Rantanen was slashed on his way to bag an empty-netter with 58 seconds remaining. Nathan MacKinnon (13 goals, 49 points) picked up two assists for the fourth straight contest, thus expanding his point streak to six games (4 goals, 9 assists).
Goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 34 shots on Wednesday to take his current performance tally to 17-11-3 for the season with a 2.69 GAA and a 916 save percentage. He has registe red a 0-3-0 past record versus Vancouver with a 3.09 GAA and a .912 save percentage, while Pavel Francouz (6-6-0 on the year with a 2.61 GAA and a .917 save percentage) is 0-2-0 against the Canucks historically with a 4.56 GAA and a .816 save percentage. The Avalanche, meanwhile, are sitting 11th in least goals scored per game this season (3.07), 10th in least goals allowed on average (2.79), 12th in power play (24.2%) and 20th in penalty kill (75.5%).