Inside the Rink Game Day Preview
Colorado Avalanche (0-0-0) at Vegas Golden Knights (0-0-0)
T-Mobile Arena
Paradise, Nevada
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 10:00 pm EST
TV: MAX/TNT
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Lines:
Colorado Avalanche -1.5 ML -110
Vegas Golden Knights +1.5 ML -110
O/U 6.5
Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster
Colorado Avalanche Notes:
The Avalanche offense looks good on paper, and last season, they finished with a 50-25-7 record. The forward group is strong and should be one of the top units in the league, led by Nathan MacKinnon, who finished with 51 goals and 89 assists last season. Gabriel Landeskog is expected to return at some point this season, but the Avalanche will have to make do without him for much of the season. The biggest downfalls for the Avs last season were the defense and goaltending. If Colorado can get solid netminding, they can make a strong playoff run.
Vegas Golden Knights Notes:
The Golden Knights look a little different this season after finishing last year with a 45-29-8 record. Jonathan Marchessault scored 42 goals last year for the Golden Knights, but he is off to the Nashville Predators, and his scoring will need to be replaced. Chandler Stephenson and Michael Amadio combined for 30 goals last season, but they have both moved onto new teams. The good news for the Golden Knights is they have newcomer Tomas Hertl and will need to rely on the forward to provide some offense.
Colorado Avalanche Lineup:
Drouin-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Kovalenko-Mittelstadt-Ritchie
Wood-Colton-O’Connor
Ivan-Kelly-Kiviranta
Toews-Makar
Girard-Manson
De Haan-Malinski
Georgiev
Annunen
Vegas Golden Knights Lineup:
Barbashev-Eichel-Stone
Dorofeyev-Hertl-Holtz
Olofsson-Roy-Brisson
Pearson-Howden-Kolesar
Theodore-Pietrangelo
Hanifin-Hague
McNabb-Whitecloud
Hill
Samsonov
Players To Watch:
Colorado Avalanche – Alexandar Georgiev, who struggled last season, hopes to regain his form as the starting goalie. Cale Makar is arguably the top defenseman in the NHL and will be looked upon again to play heavy minutes.
Vegas Golden Knights – Hanifin will bolster a defense that already includes Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Brayden McNabb, making it one of the premier defensive units in the NHL. The hope is that goaltender Adin Hill can sustain strong performances throughout the season, as he steps into the starting role, despite never having started more than 35 games in a single season.
Injuries:
Colorado Avalanche – Gabriel Landeskog (Knee – IR), Valeri Nichushkin – Suspension), Artturi Lehkonen (Shoulder), Tucker Poolman (Undisclosed – IR)
Vegas Golden Knights – William Karlsson (Undisclosed – IR)
Next game
Colorado Avalanche – October 12 vs Columbus at 9 pm EST
Vegas Golden Knights – October 11 vs St. Louis at 10:00 pm EST
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