Rantanen and the Avalanche visit Vegas with 2-1 series lead
Colorado Avalanche (39-13-4, first in the West Division during the regular season) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (40-14-2, second in the West Division during the regular season)
Paradise, Nevada; Sunday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Golden Knights -114, Avalanche -106; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Avalanche lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche visit the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the 12th time this season. The Golden Knights won the previous matchup 3-2.
The Golden Knights are 40-14-2 against division opponents. Vegas ranks eighth in the league with 32.7 shots per game and is averaging 3.4 goals.
The Avalanche are 39-13-4 against the rest of their division. Colorado averages 9.8 points per game to lead the league, recording 3.5 goals and 6.3 assists per game.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Stone leads the Golden Knights with 40 assists and has 61 points this season. Mattias Janmark has three goals and three assists over the last 10 games for Vegas.
Mikko Rantanen leads the Avalanche with 30 goals and has 66 points. Nathan MacKinnon has eight goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Colorado.
DURING THE PLAYOFFS: Golden Knights: Averaging 2.6 goals, 4.5 assists, 3.4 penalties and 9.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .902 save percentage.
Avalanche: Averaging 4.6 goals, 7.9 assists, 3.3 penalties and 10.4 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game with a .941 save percentage.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: Peyton Krebs: out (upper body), Mattias Janmark: day to day (undisclosed), Brayden McNabb: day to day (health protocols), Alec Martinez: day to day (undisclosed), Tomas Nosek: day to day (undisclosed), Alex Tuch: day to day (undisclosed).
Avalanche: Jacob MacDonald: out (lower body), Bowen Byram: out (upper body), Matt Calvert: out (undisclosed), Dennis Gilbert: out (face).
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