The Colorado Avalanche will hit the road to take on the Arizona Coyotes. The Avalanche have split their last four road games with two wins and two losses, however all of them went over the total. Starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov is still out of the line-up for the Avalanche with a groin injury, backup goaltender Reto Berra has been confirmed for the Avalanche tonight. Berra was pulled from the ice during his last game after allowing 3 goals against on 10 shots (.700 SV%). Reto has made eight appearances this season and has allowed at least three goals against in each of his last five starts. Reto Berra is 2-2-1 on the season with a 3.16 GAA and a .895 SV%. Mike Smith is probable for the Coyotes this evening and has also had a tough run this season going 4-11-1, with a 3.22 GAA and a .893 SV%. When it comes to defense, these two clubs are two of the worst in the NHL. The Avalanche are ranked 26th overall allowing 3.10 goals against per game, and allow 3.27 goals against per game when playing on the road. Note that over their last 10 games the Avalanche have allowed an average of 3.40 goals against per game. The Coyotes are ranked 25th overall on defense with 3.00 goals against per game, and when playing at Home this number jumps slightly to 3.11 GA/GP. The big news tonight is that Alex Tanguay will be traveling to Arizona with the club and is expected to play in tonight’s game. Alex has 11 points in 20 games for the Avalanche, leading the team in goals with 7. Martin Hanzal is also probable to return for the Yotes tonight after missing four games with a lower body injury. Martin has earned himself 11 points in 15 games played for Arizona. Both teams are struggling on defense right now and are two of the worst in the League. 3 of the last 4 meetings between these clubs have gone over the total, and both goaltenders are struggling, both with a goals against average exceeding 3.00.
