Avalanche to host Panarin and the Rangers
New York Rangers (37-28-4, seventh in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (41-20-8, second in the Central Division)
Denver; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Artemi Panarin leads New York into a matchup with Colorado. He’s fourth in the league with 94 points, scoring 32 goals and totaling 62 assists.
The Avalanche are 17-9-6 on their home ice. Colorado ranks fifth in the NHL shooting 10.5% and averaging 3.4 goals on 32.3 shots per game.
The Rangers are 19-12-2 in road games. New York serves 11.1 penalty minutes per game, the most in the league. Brendan Lemieux leads the team serving 109 total minutes.
In their last meeting on Jan. 7, New York won 5-3.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 58 assists and has recorded 93 points this season. Gabriel Landeskog has totaled 13 points over the last 10 games for Colorado.
Panarin leads the Rangers with 94 points, scoring 32 goals and adding 62 assists. Mika Zibanejad has totaled 14 goals and four assists over the last 10 games for New York.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rangers: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.6 assists, 3.9 penalties and 9.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game with a .902 save percentage.
Avalanche: 7-2-1, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.2 assists, 3.3 penalties and 6.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game with a .921 save percentage.
INJURIES: Avalanche: Cale Makar: day to day (upper-body), Nathan MacKinnon: day to day (lower-body), Andre Burakovsky: day to day (lower body).
Rangers: Chris Kreider: out (foot).
