Mikko Rantanen takes a six-game goal streak into the Avalanche’s game against San Jose at Ball Arena on Thursday.
It’s the longest such streak of his NHL career and the longest in the league this season. Rantanen is the fifth Avalanche player to score six in a row, joining
Nathan MacKinnon, Milan Hejduk, Joe Sakic and
Peter Forsberg.
The Colorado/Quebec franchise record is nine straight games set by the Nordiques'
Michel Goulet in 1983-84.
Here are the
GAME NOTES.
The Avalanche will try to complete their first two-game sweep of the season, having split each of the first three two-game series. They combined for 15 goals the past two home games.
"We've been kind of building over the first seven games at getting our team game in order, and I think we've done that and played pretty well even in a couple of the games that we lost,” coach
Jared Bednar said after the morning skate. “I think that's the main priority.”
Philipp Grubauer will make his seventh start. He’s gone 4-2-0 with one shutout, a 2.17 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. He owns a 4-1-1 career record in seven games against the Sharks with two shutouts, a 2.00 GAA and .926 save percentage.
MacKinnon, who leads the Avalanche in scoring with nine points (two goals, seven assists), has 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 19 games against the Sharks.
The Avalanche have a league-leading 11 power-play goals, have killed 13 penalties in a row in the past three games and all 11 in three home games.
Devan Dubnyk will start in goal for San Jose. He’s gone 0-2-0 in four games this season with a 3.29 GAA and .894 save percentage. He has a 19-15-1 record in 38 games against the Avalanche with four shutouts, a 2.48 GAA and .923 save percentage.
Sharks forward
Patrick Marleau, 41, will play his 1,731st game to tie
Ron Francis for fourth place in NHL history. He trails
Gordie Howe (1,767),
Mark Messier (1,756) and
Jaromir Jagr (1,733).
The Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS:
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Brandon Saad -- Nazem Kadri -- Andre Burakovsky
Valeri Nichushkin -- J.T. Compher -- Joonas Donskoi
Tyson Jost -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Kiefer Sherwood
DEFENSE:
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Bowen Byram -- Samuel Girard
Ryan Graves -- Erik Johnson
GOALIES:
Philipp Grubauer
Hunter Miska
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