Knights try to find way to cool off NHL-best Avalanche

With 61 points and just two regulation losses in 36 games, the Colorado Avalanche put together the best start of a season heading into the holiday break since the Christmas break started in the 1972-73 season.

But captain Gabriel Landeskog says his team, which resumes play in Las Vegas against the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, didn't pop any champagne corks over that stat.

"It means we've had a good just-about first half," Landeskog said. "We're not going to blow it out of proportion."

Still, it's hard not to be impressed with what Colorado has accomplished nearing the halfway point.

The Avalanche's 61 points (27-2-7) are one more than the Anaheim Ducks (27-5-6) had at the holiday break in 2006-07 en route to winning the first Stanley Cup in team history, and five more points than the runner-up Dallas Stars in this year's NHL standings.

Colorado has scored a league-high 142 goals while allowing just 80, fewest in the league, an eye-popping plus-62 in goal differential. Center Nathan MacKinnon leads the league with 30 goals and a plus-45 plus/minus while goaltender Scott Wedgewood is tied for first in wins (16-1-4) while compiling a 2.01 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.

"It's a testament to the guys and the hard work they've put in and the focus they've been able to maintain for the first half of the season or whatever," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "Guys are playing with the right intentions, and they're getting rewarded for it."

Colorado brings a six-game winning streak with it to Sin City, including a 1-0 victory over the Utah Mammoth in its last game on Tuesday. Wedgewood made 32 saves for his second shutout and Samuel Girard scored the lone goal in the second period on a breakaway after intercepting Clayton Keller's pass in the neutral zone.

"I think some of the real big positives (to the start of the season) is that we're finding ways to win hockey games," Landeskog said. "Tonight was another example of that. It was not pretty, it was not perfect. ... But we find ways, obviously with fantastic goaltending, to keep them off the scoreboard. Overall, it's been a fun first few months of the season."

Vegas broke a three-game losing streak with a 7-2 home thrashing of the San Jose Sharks in its final game before the break on Tuesday.

The Golden Knights, plagued by slow starts and overtime losses during a roller-coaster start of the season, jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first period as 13 skaters recorded at least one point, a team record for a period. Mitch Marner scored two goals to lead the way and Carter Hart made 21 saves to pick up his 100th career victory.

"Honestly, to be up 5-0 after one period is rare," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "You need everything to go right on both sides of the puck."

The Golden Knights had been outscored by a combined 5-1 in the first period of back-to-back losses at Calgary and Edmonton, drawing Cassidy's ire for their sluggish starts.

This will be the second of three regular-season meetings. Colorado, behind a goal and two assists by Martin Necas and a goal and an assist from Cale Makar, jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two periods and held on to win the first one, 4-2, on Halloween in Las Vegas.

--Field Level Media