Colorado @ Vegas preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2018 ) Colorado 5, Vegas 3

The Vegas Golden Knights were 23-9-2 and in the middle of an eight-game winning streak at the Christmas break during their 2017-18 inaugural season that resulted in a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Vegas has four fewer points while playing five more games this season and mired in a 2-1-3 stretch as it prepares for Thursday's encounter against the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

The Golden Knights have still worked their way into the top three in the Pacific Division thanks in part to a 6-0-2 mark in the last eight home games, improving to 11-3-3 in Las Vegas after bursting out of the gate 15-2-1 last season. Colorado also sits in playoff position in the Central despite sliding into the Christmas break 2-5-1 with a leaky defense that permitted 34 goals during that span. The Avalanche, though, boast the top line in hockey with Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon first and third in points, and captain Gabriel Landeskog tied for third with 24 goals. The Golden Knights won two of three meetings last season (2-0-1) with both wins at home by a combined 11-1 as Jonathan Marchessault recorded three goals and three assists in the series.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Vegas)

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (19-12-6): Rantanen (59 points) and MacKinnon (56) continue to pile up points despite the team's recent struggles with 12 apiece in the last eight games while Landeskog has seven goals and three assists during that span. Secondary scoring is scarce as the unit combined to score 14 of the 22 goals in the stretch and 48.1 percent of the club's tallies this season. Nikita Zadorov (team-high plus-9 among defensemen) could return to the lineup after missing two games (lower body).

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (20-15-4): William Karlsson paces the team with 14 goals and 29 points after entering the break with a score and two assists in three games. Marchessault (13 goals) also has 29 points and went into Christmas with a goal and an assist in two games. Defenseman Colin Miller (17 points) could return after missing three games (undisclosed), which came on the heels of recording five assists in five contests.

OVERTIME

1. Colorado owns the fourth-best power play in the league at 27.3 percent but is 1-for-13 over its last three games.

2. Vegas G Marc-Andre Fleury is 10-3-2 with a 2.14 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in 16 games (15 starts) versus the Avalanche.

3. Colorado is 1-3-2 in its last six games versus the West, falling to 8-7-4 in such contests this season.

PREDICTION: Golden Knights 3, Avalanche 2