National Hockey League
Colorado 3, Vegas 0
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Referees: Kendrick Nicholson, Chris Rooney
Linesmen: Brad Kovachik, Andrew Smith
Attendance: 18039

Valeri Nichushkin had two goals, Alexandar Georgiev had 25 saves for his second shutout of the season, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Denver on Wednesday night.

Logan O'Connor also scored and Mikko Rantanen had two assists for the Avalanche, who have won six of their last eight games. The shutout was the 15th of Georgiev's seven-year career.

Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon had one assist to tie Joe Sakic for the longest home point streak in franchise history.

Jiri Patera turned away 32 shots for Vegas, which has lost seven of its last nine games.

The reigning Stanley Cup champions continue to struggle with injuries that have decimated their lineup. Vegas goaltender Adin Hill is still out but could return this week, while William Karlsson and William Carrier continue to miss time.

Vegas did get defenseman Zach Whitecloud back after he was scratched in Saturday's win over the New York Islanders.

The Avalanche were without Miles Wood (illness) for the third straight game, and defenseman Josh Manson (undisclosed) was out for the second straight game.

The game was scoreless for most of the first period, but a late penalty on Whitecloud gave Colorado a power play with 24 seconds left in the frame. Just 10 seconds into the man advantage, Rantanen fed Nichushkin in front of the net, and he lifted a shot over Patera to make it 1-0.

The Avalanche struck again when Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb went off for interference at 11:11 of the second period, and it didn't take long for Colorado to cash in.

MacKinnon's shot at an open net grazed off the left post, went behind the net and trickled over to Rantanen. He sent a blind pass to Nichushkin on the right side of the crease and beat Patera again at 11:44.

It was Nichushkin's 22nd goal of the season, tying him with MacKinnon for the team lead.

The Avalanche cushioned the lead midway through the third when O'Connor's shot from the point deflected off the stick of Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague and over Patera's glove at 9:20.

It was O'Connor's seventh of the season.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Vegas   Colorado
N/A Points Valeri Nichushkin 2
N/A Goals Valeri Nichushkin 2
N/A Assists Mikko Rantanen 2
N/A Power Play Goals Valeri Nichushkin 2
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jiri Patera .914 Save Percentage Alexandar Georgiev 1.000
Jiri Patera 32 Saves Alexandar Georgiev 25
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Vegas 25 0 0-4 2-4 8 28
Colorado 35 3 2-4 4-4 8 22
Upcoming Games
  • Colorado will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .615 after a win and .688 after a loss.
  • Vegas will play their next game at home against Boston. The Golden Knights have a W/L % of .583 after a win and .529 after a loss.