Top scorers square off in Colorado-Vegas matchup
Vegas Golden Knights (22-8-1, first in the West Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (21-8-3, second in the West Division)
Denver; Saturday, 3 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: A pair of the NHL's best scorers, Mikko Rantanen and Mark Stone, meet when Colorado and Vegas hit the ice. Rantanen ranks fifth in the NHL with 39 points and Stone currently ranks seventh in the league with 39 points.
The Avalanche are 21-8-3 against division opponents. Colorado ranks second in the NHL recording 9.7 points per game, averaging 3.5 goals and 6.2 assists.
The Golden Knights are 22-8-1 in division play. Vegas has scored 101 goals and ranks seventh in the NHL averaging 3.3 goals per game. Max Pacioretty leads the team with 17.
The teams square off for the second straight game.
TOP PERFORMERS: Rantanen has 39 total points for the Avalanche, 19 goals and 20 assists. Gabriel Landeskog has nine assists over the last 10 games for Colorado.
Pacioretty leads the Golden Knights with 17 goals and has 31 points. Shea Theodore has eight assists over the last 10 games for Vegas.
LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 8-1-1, averaging 4.3 goals, 7.8 assists, 3.1 penalties and 6.7 penalty minutes while giving up 1.6 goals per game with a .928 save percentage.
Golden Knights: 6-4-0, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.4 assists, 2.9 penalties and seven penalty minutes while allowing 2.6 goals per game with a .904 save percentage.
INJURIES: Avalanche: Matt Calvert: day to day (undisclosed), Conor Timmins: day to day (upper body), Dennis Gilbert: out (face).
Golden Knights: Max Pacioretty: day to day (lower body).
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