Eurolanche

Avs begin preseason vs Vegas

The Colorado Avalanche opens its 2017-18 preseason schedule on Tuesday as the club takes on the Vegas Golden Knights at Pepsi Center at 7 p.m. MT.

Goaltender Spencer Martin will get the start for the Avalanche after making of 10-of-11 saves in 31:09 of action in the team's Burgundy/White intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday.

The Avs' lineup will feature several young players vying for a spot on the team's opening-night roster, but there will still be plenty of veterans taking the ice as well, according to head coach Jared Bednar. The contest will be Colorado's first of six exhibitions and begins a busy week for the club. The Avs will play their first five outings in a seven-day span, which includes three games in three days starting Saturday at the Minnesota Wild. Bednar said the team's focus in this first contest will mostly be on itself.

"We have Vegas' game from the other night," Bednar said. "We'll look at some things so we have an idea of what they're going to do, but this is about our group here and making sure we're putting into place the things that we've been teaching for the first few days, and help teach on the bench and keep moving the group in the right direction."

This will be the expansion Golden Knights' second-ever preseason contest after they played at the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday afternoon and won 9-4. Tyler Wong had three goals and an assist for the Knights, while teammates Brad Hunt (three assists) and Tomas Nosek (one goal two assists) each chipped in three-point outings. All but six Vegas players found the scoresheet in the team's opener.

Goaltender Dylan Ferguson made 29 saves in net. The Avs will play the Knights twice this preseason. They will close out their exhibition slate at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 28. Altitude TV will televise both Avalanche games against the Golden Knights, with coverage on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. MT.

NHL Network will carry the game out of market. The radio broadcast can be heard locally on Altitude Sports AM 950.

-- by Ron Knabenbauer for coloradoavalanche.com --