Game 23 vs Vegas Golden Knights: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

The Avalanche return to Ball Arena after a four-game road trip to face the Vegas Golden Knights for the second time this season. Colorado lost the season opener 8-4 in Vegas and are six points behind them in the standings.

The Avs are coming off an 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning but the team is not dwelling on the defeat.

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“You got to have a short memory right now. I think if you dwell on those games, it’s going to come back to hurt you — still thinking about what you could have done or what went wrong, that’s one it can catch up to you a bit,” Logan O’Connor said after morning skate. “And I think the same goes for the positives throughout the trip. You want to just learn from them, talk about them, address them, and then sort of move on and try and do what you can to continue to do the good things we did and forget about the bad things we did, but learn from those as well.”

Jonathan Drouin is out week to week with an upper-body injury. Head coach Jared Bednar said this injury is part of what he has been dealing with since the first game of the season, which kept him out for five weeks. The team has the “next man up” mentality with the rotating injuries it continues to be dealt.

“Sometimes unfortunate things happen in hockey and sports, injuries, but trying to battle without him. He’s a good player, but we’ve been in this situation before, so it’s nothing new to us.

“I think every experience you have, the next one comes, it’s easier to adapt and you know what to expect and how it’s going to be. So for us, it’s been since I’ve been here the whole time — nine, 10, years. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s crazy, injuries and stuff. We lose guys — I don’t know if it’s bad luck, but hopefully you can stay healthy after he comes back and hopefully (Ross) Colton come back soon too,” Mikko Rantanen said.

The Golden Knights sit in the top spot of the Pacific Division with 30 points while the Avalanche are in the No. 4 spot in the Central Division with 24. The teams’ last 10 games are similar though and it will be a tough matchup for both clubs. It will be an 8:22 p.m. MT puck drop.

Season Series

• Oct. 9 at Vegas (L, 8-4)
• Nov. 27 vs. Vegas
• April 8 vs. Vegas

Avalanche Injuries

• Jonathan Drouin (upper-body, week-to-week)
• Ross Colton (foot, 6-8 weeks)
• Gabriel Landeskog (knee, no timetable)

Projected Avalanche Lines (subject to change)

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Valeri Nichushkin — Casey Mittelstadt — Ivan Ivan
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Logan O’Connor
Miles Wood — Chase Bradley — Nikolai Kovalenko

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Josh Manson
Oliver Kylington — Sam Malinski

Alexandar Georgiev
Justus Annunen

Projected Starters (subject to change)

• Confirmed: Alexandar Georgiev (COL)
• Unconfirmed: Adin Hill (VGK)

Upcoming Milestones

• Mikko Rantanen needs 3 power-play goals for 100
• Nathan MacKinnon needs 2 assists to become the fastest skater in franchise history to hit 30 in a season

How to Watch

• TV: TNT and Altitude
• Radio: 92.5 Altitude Radio

More Avalanche News

• Good & Bad: Poor Goaltending, Execution in Avs Loss to Lightning
• Mikko Rantanen Earns NHL’s 2nd Star of the Week
• Notebook: How a Rising Salary Cap Could Reshape NHL Salaries