Game 59 Preview: Los Angeles Kings (31-22-6, 68 points) vs. Colorado Avalanche (37-16-5, 79 points)

Dec 21, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center

(11) and Colorado Avalanche center

(26) go for the puck in the third period of the game at Staples Center. The Kings won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Avalanche (37-16-5, 79 points) return back to action after two weeks off due to the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Paul Stastny, and Semyon Varlamov all took part in the games as Duchene (Canada) came away with gold and Landy (Sweden) came away with silver. The Avalanche last played on Feb. 8th against the New York Islanders as they came away with the 5-2 win, led by Matt Duchene who scored two goals. Duchene would also collect a milestone as he notched goal number 100 of his career.

What: NHL Preview:  vs. 
When: Wednesday, February 26th
Where: Pepsi Center
Time: 10:00 PM ET, 8:00 PM MT
TV: NBC Sports

This is the third and final meeting between the two Western Conference clubs this season as they have split both match-ups. The last meeting between these two teams took place on Dec. 21st where the Kings came away with a shootout win over the Avs, 3-2. Matt Duchene of the Avalanche would record two assists in the defeat as Kings goaltender Martin Jones played a heck of a game, stopping 21-of-23 shots with a save percentage of .920%.

The Los Angeles Kings are looking for a fresh start as they would start the season off hot but ended up going into the break on a slide — 2-8-0 in their last ten games. Colorado on the other hand looks to take advantage of a three-game homestand that opens up with LA tonight.

The Avalanche will be without defenseman Erik Johnson as he would end up being suspended for 2-games due to a slash on Islanders forward Frans Nielsen. Colorado would also find out news that Alex Tanguay will be out for the season after deciding to undergo season-ending surgery on his hip. The team was 15-1-0 with Tanguay inserted into the lineup.

Projected Starting Goaltenders:

Los Angeles Kings: Jonathan Quick: 16-13-2, 2.18 GAA, .911% save percentage.

Colorado Avalanche: Jean-Sebastien Giguere: 9-4-0, 2.44 GAA, .918% save percentage.