The Colorado Avalanche clinched the Central Division and the NHL’s top overall seed. Now they are having a say in who is the other division winner in the Western Conference.
Colorado (52-16-11, 115 points) completes back-to-back games against Pacific Division contenders when it plays at the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.
The Avalanche fell 3-2 in overtime to Vegas on Saturday night, allowing the Golden Knights to leapfrog the Oilers into first place. Edmonton and Vegas are in a battle with Anaheim for the Pacific Division title.
The Oilers (40-30-10, 90 points) are limping to the finish of the regular season. Center Leon Draisaitl (lower-body injury) has not played since March 15 and may not be ready for the first round of the playoffs. Center Jason Dickinson is day-to-day after blocking a shot with his leg against San Jose last Wednesday. Winger Zach Hyman (undisclosed) has not played the last four games.
In addition, winger Max Jones was helped off the ice in Edmonton’s 1-0 loss at Los Angeles on Saturday, further depleting the roster.
The loss to the Kings — the fourth time the Oilers have been blanked this season — was the third in four games. Edmonton had won five in a row before this slide to move atop the division.
“We’re playing the right style of hockey and we’re doing the right things,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said after losing to Los Angeles. “But some nights it just doesn’t go your way, you can’t get a goal, and (Saturday) was that night.”
The Avalanche are also dealing with injuries, including one to head coach Jared Bednar. He sustained facial fractures and a corneal abrasion after he was struck on the right cheek with a puck early in the third period of the 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights on Saturday night in Denver. Bednar left the bench and didn’t return.
He was later taken to a hospital to undergo a CT scan and further evaluation but was conscious and alert. Colorado said Bednar will not make the road trip to Edmonton and Calgary; assistant coaches Dave Hakstol and Nolan Pratt will run the team.
“It’s certainly a little unnerving. It’s scary when the pucks are flying in there,” Pratt said after Saturday night’s game. “It happens all the time, and unfortunate tonight, so it takes a little second to sort of recalibrate and then get back to it.”
Bednar wasn’t the only injury the Avalanche suffered against Vegas. Defenseman Josh Manson left late in the second period with an upper-body injury and didn’t return for the third. There was no update on Manson’s availability for Monday.
Colorado has been without star defenseman Cale Makar since March 30 due to an upper-body injury, but he is expected back for the playoffs. The Avalanche can be cautious with the roster after wrapping up the Presidents’ Trophy on Thursday night for the best regular-season record.
The goals left are personal. Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 52 goals, one more than Montreal’s Cole Caufield, and can join Milan Hejduk as the only Colorado players to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. Hejduk captured it in 2002-03 with 50 goals.
Martin Necas needs one point to reach 100 for the first time in his career.
