 made some nice saves on me during the game. It was nice to get that one back.''Semyon Varlamov stopped all three shots in the shootout. He finished with 39 saves, including seven in overtime. This after allowing five goals and being pulled in a 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings two days ago. Short memories this time of year.''I knew we were going to come and play hard and respond,'' Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. ''Doesn't always guarantee you the victory - there's another good team that's trying to win the hockey game, too. It was a close one right down to the shootout.''Carl Soderberg was back on the ice after missing two games with an illness and contributed with a first-period goal. Colorado remains in the thick of the playoff picture as the team picked up its 26th home win, which is tied for the third-most in Avalanche history. The Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights are on the doorstep of earning their playoff spot. They were kept in this game thanks to the play of Fleury, who was back in the net after sustaining an undisclosed injury Tuesday. Fleury made 29 saves.''We had moments when I thought the puck would go in, but somehow he stopped the shots. He'd make that big save,'' Varlamov said of Fleury. ''That's why he's different than anybody else. In a key moment, he can make that save.''Jonathan Marchessault tied the game early in the third, moments after Fleury made an incredible save with his right leg. It would be a familiar trend. The play of the game may have been this: Blake Comeau had a breakaway in the third as he tried to corral the puck near center ice. Fleury came all the way out to disrupt Comeau, who side-stepped Fleury's stick only to tumble to the ice and not be able to knock it into the wide-open net. In overtime, Fleury also stopped Erik Johnson on a breakaway.''He was awesome,'' Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ''He made some great saves tonight. That wasn't a 1-1 hockey game. That was like a 5-4 hockey game. I thought both goalies were really good.''Fleury recently had some fun with reporters who asked about what happened Tuesday when he left the game for an undisclosed reason (he also didn't play Thursday). Fleury joked it was a chance to catch up on his favorite soap opera, ''Days of our Lives.''All kidding aside, he said he was ''back to normal. It felt good to be back with the boys again.''The two teams turn around and play in Vegas on Monday.''The atmosphere was good. It was such a close game, on both sides,'' Fleury said. ''It was exciting to be part of, but disappointing to come out on the losing side.''Varlamov was in net for a 20th straight game as backup Jonathan Bernier was sidelined by a cut that became infected. Bernier's also missed time this season with a concussion. Soderberg gave Colorado an early lead by lifting a shot over the shoulder of Fleury for a power-play goal midway through the opening period.''It was a good hockey game,'' Bednar said. ''That was a fun hockey game.''NOTES: Team USA goaltender Nicole Hensley was honored before the game and given an Avalanche sweater. She helped the U. S. bring home the gold medal at the Pyeongchang Games. ... D Mark Alt made his Avalanche debut after being claimed off waivers from Philadelphia on Feb. 26. ... RW Sven Andrighetto and C Colin Wilson are day-to-day with lower-body injuries. UP NEXTGolden Knights: Begin a four-game homestand Monday against Colorado. Avalanche: Travel to Vegas on Monday before hosting two straight games at home.---More hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey)
Time: 3:00 PM EDT Venue: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo., 80204 / When the NHL season started in October, two developments seemed improbable -- the expansion Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche reaching the postseason. But in a head-scratching development, one is a lock and the other is a real possibility. And the two longshots could end up playing each other in the first round of the NHL playoffs next month. Saturday, the two surprise teams play a matinee game in Denver that could be a preview of an opening series if the standings hold up down the stretch. The Golden Knights (47-21-6) have surprised many with their inaugural season. They've gone against conventional wisdom that expansion teams struggle at first but gain traction. Vegas started strong and has maintained a lead in the Pacific Division, seven points over second place San Jose with eight games remaining. The Sharks beat Vegas in overtime on Thursday but the one point gave the Golden Knights 100 for the season." It's a huge number. Definitely satisfied and happy with that," coach Gerard Gallant told The Las Vegas Review-Journal. "What do we got, eight games left in the season? So let's keep adding on to the points, but it's definitely a huge feat for our group so far." Colorado is the other feel-good story of the season. After finishing last season with just 48 points, the Avalanche (40-26-8) were sitting in the first wild card in the Western Conference heading into Friday's action. Anaheim, with 88 points, held the second wild card and played at Winnipeg on Friday night. The 40-point turnaround is the biggest since Pittsburgh had 47-point improvement in 2006-07, and Colorado has a chance to top that mark if it can at least go 4-4 to end the season. Led by Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon, the Avalanche have flipped the script on their fortunes with one of the youngest rosters in the league. The top line of MacKinnon (22), Mikko Rantanen (21) and Gabriel Landeskog (25) has carried the team. The trio combined for the only points in a 7-1 home loss to Los Angeles on Thursday night -- a rare dud at Pepsi Center this season. MacKinnon (38 goals, 54 assists) is third in scoring in the NHL despite having missed eight games. He leads the league in points per game at 1.39. Colorado's strong March has given it some room for error, but not much. St. Louis had 85 points entering Friday's home game against lowly Vancouver with a chance to close the gap to a point. Dallas was four points back of the Avalanche before hosting Boston on Friday night. Despite the closeness of the playoff chase Colorado coach Jared Bednar said his team is concentrating on its schedule." You've got to be careful watching the scoreboard because it's wasted emotion," he said after Thursday's loss." We're concentrating on what we have to do to get in and how many games we have win and how we have to prepare and how we have to play. If you start watching what everyone else is doing you start riding an emotional roller coaster for no reason. I'd love to look at the scoreboard to see if we got help but we're not expecting any help. This is on us."
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