The Colorado Avalanche go back on the road today and face the streaky Dallas Stars tonight. Colorado, fresh off a 3-0 homestand, find themselves tied for first place in the Northwest Division with their rival Vancouver Canucks. Meanwhile, the Stars find themselves in last place within the extremely tight Pacific Division -- a deceptive last place, however, as only four points separate the five teams within the Pacific.
Dallas is an extremely streaky team, as their last 11 games have had the following results: Lost Three, Won Three, Lost Three, Won Two. The Avalanche look to break that pattern with a victory tonight but will find a difficult matchup against Brad Richards, who leads the Stars with 24 points and has been simply electric in carrying the offensive load for Dallas this season.
It's a significant night for the Avalanche tonight as well. David Driscoll-Carignan of Mile High Hockey has more:
It has taken 15 years, but tonight is the night where the Avalanche surpass the Nordiques in games played (regular season and playoffs). Tonight is the 1,337th game played as the Avalanche, one more than the 1,336 the franchise played as the Nordiques.
Colorado enters the game tonight on an offensive hot streak, outscoring their opposition on the previous homestand by a margin of 15-7. Leading the way for the NHL's third-rated offense has been unexpected star Kevin Porter, producing five goals in his past seven games, including three game-winners. Forward Matt Duchene broke out in a big way during the second period against the New York Rangers, tallying three points in a single period.
A victory tonight ensures that Colorado will maintain at least a share of first place in the Northwest Division.
Read more at Mile High Hockey.