NBCSN’s coverage of the 2018-19 NHL season continues with the Wednesday Night Hockey matchup between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche. Coverage begins at 10:15 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.
Though they missed a chance to lock up a playoff spot on Monday by losing 3-1 to St. Louis, Vegas is all but assured a place in the postseason, proving that last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final was no fluke. They enter Wednesday five points behind San Jose for second in the Pacific Division.
In all likelihood, the Golden Knights will finish third in the division. Thus, they’ve been conservative with their lineup to get some players healthy for another run to the Cup Final. Most notably, Marc-Andre Fleury (lower body) did not travel with the team St. Louis and missed his fifth straight game. Fleury and his wife also recently celebrated the birth of their third child, James.
The Avs occupy the second wild card spot in the West, tied in points with the Coyotes, but with a game in hand over Arizona. All six of their final games are against Western Conference opponents, and five of those six opponents are in the thick of the playoff race, including their next game on Friday against Arizona.
Colorado has managed to stay afloat despite injuries to two of their best players in captain Gabriel Landeskog (upper body) and Mikko Rantanen (upper body). Landeskog was in a non-contact jersey at Tuesday’s practice, while Rantanen did not skate. Neither will play against Vegas.
Philipp Grubauer has started five straight games for Colorado, winning four of them and making 40 saves in an overtime loss to Chicago on Sunday.
[WATCH LIVE – COVERAGE BEGINS AT 10:15 P.M. ET – NBCSN]
WHAT: Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche WHERE: Pepsi Center WHEN: Wednesday, March 27, 10:15 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN LIVE STREAM: You can watch the Golden Knights-Avalanche stream on NBC Sports’ live stream page and the NBC Sports app.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
GOLDEN KNIGHTS Jonathan Marchessault - William Karlsson - Reilly Smith Alex Tuch - Paul Stastny - Mark Stone Tomas Nosek - Cody Eakin - Valentin Zykov William Carrier - Ryan Carpenter - Ryan Reaves
Nate Schmidt - Deryk Engelland Brayden McNabb - Nick Holden Jon Merrill - Colin Miller
Starting goalie: Malcolm Subban
AVALANCHE Alex Kerfoot - Nathan MacKinnon - J.T. Compher Derick Brassard - Tyson Jost - Matt Calvert Colin Wilson - Carl Soderberg - Sven Andrighetto Matt Nieto - Andrew Agozzino - Gabriel Bourque
Sam Girard - Erik Johnson Ian Cole - Tyson Barrie Nikita Zadorov - Patrik Nemeth
Starting goalie: Philipp Grubauer
Gord Miller (play-by-play) and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call from Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.