Avalanche Defence Braces for a Penguins Attack That Keeps Coming
Pittsburgh brings its chance-making to Colorado, where MacKinnon and Makar host a club still chasing a firmer playoff footing.
Two teams that create almost the same amount of offence meet in Colorado, and the gap between them shows up at the other end of the ice.
Colorado (4-2-1, 9 points) hosts Pittsburgh (3-3-1, 7 points). Both clubs have been generating similar looks at goal. Measured in expected goals, which count how many goals a team's chances were worth, the Avalanche average 3.22 a game and the Penguins 3.31.
The difference is what each side gives up. Colorado's opponents have managed chances worth 2.57 goals a night. Pittsburgh's opponents have produced chances worth 3.16. In plain terms, the Avalanche have kept the quality of looks against them lower.
The Avalanche hold the West's first wild-card spot and have a +9 goal differential. The Penguins sit in the East's sixth wild-card position at +3, and they are 1-2-1 away from home.
For Colorado, the path is keeping chances against in check while Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Cale Makar drive the attack. For Pittsburgh, it is turning its steady chance creation into goals, with Erik Karlsson on the back end.
