The Avalanche’s 5-2 loss to Vegas on Wednesday didn’t end their chances of finishing first in the West Division, but it's gotten a lot harder now.
The Avalanche (31-12-4) now trail the Golden Knights (35-11-2) by six points with one game in hand.
Here’s the NHL.com GAME RECAP.
They kept their one-point lead over third-place Minnesota (31-14-3), which turned a 3-1 third-period lead into a 4-3 loss to St. Louis (22-19-6), which padded its fourth-place lead to three points over Arizona.
The Avalanche, who have lost three in a row for the first time this season, have what should be a favorable schedule down the stretch with the next four games against the sixth-place San Jose Sharks and four against the seventh-place Los Angeles Kings. They have one left against Vegas.
The positive news is that goalie Philipp Grubauer and forwards Mikko Rantanen and Joonas Donskoi could return this weekend, possibly as early as Friday when the Avalanche start a back-to-back set with the Sharks at Ball Arena.
“It’s going to change the dynamic of our team,… coach Jared Bednar told reporters Wednesday night.
More information will be forthcoming on their status Friday morning since the Avalanche didn’t practice Thursday.
Devan Dubnyk stopped 21 of 25 shots – Vegas scored 10 seconds into the game – and Bednar said he would have liked to see him save two of the Golden Knights’ first three goals.
“It wasn’t a great night for him,… Bednar said.
Marc-Andre Fleury, meanwhile, made 35 saves for the Golden Knights.
Center Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to stretch his point streak to 15 games, a career high and longest in the NHL this season. He has 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in the streak.
But center Nazem Kadri had another poor game. He was minus-2 in 18:35 of ice time, took a minor penalty and failed to score a goal for the 17th consecutive game. He last scored March 22 against Arizona.
"I didn't love his game," Bednar said.
The Avalanche need one win to reach 1,000 since the franchise moved from Quebec for the 1995-96 season. They’ve gone 999-727-101 with 142 ties.