Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers (8:00 p.m.)

It’s a Colorado Avalanche game day!

The Avalanche aren’t logging any vacation hours this weekend as they get set for their second contest in as many nights, this time against the Edmonton Oilers. The Avalanche fell to the Dallas Stars last night by a score of 5-3. Can they bounce back against the Oilers, who also played yesterday? Edmonton beat the Utah Hockey Club in OT, but can the Avalanche steal two points tonight?

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche surprised their fans earlier this morning by trading Justus Annunen and a 6th-round pick from 2025 for Scott Wedgewood from the Nashville Predators, formerly the Dallas Stars. This move comes in response to the Avalanche’s disastrous team save percentage through 25% of the season. Wedgewood fits the profile of a veteran backup who should offer more consistency and reliability than Annunen was proving to in support of Georgiev, who deals with his struggles occasionally. It would be pretty impressive if Wedgewood played tonight, although logistically, it’s possible.

Nathan MacKinnon seems to have shifted his focus to shooting the puck more amidst a lul in his 2024-25 campaign. Funny enough, he’s still tied for 2nd in the league in points among skaters. His new mindset hasn’t shown up on the scoresheet yet. Tonight is the night.

Projected Lineup:

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Valeri Nichushkin
Nikolai Kovalenko — Casey Mittelstadt — Mikko Rantanen
Joel Kiviranta — Ivan Ivan — Logan O’Connor
Nikita Prishchepov — Parker Kelly — Chris Wagner

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Josh Manson
Oliver Kylington — Sam Malinski

Note: We might see Nikita Prishchepov tonight as the Avalanche recalled the young forward.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers still have McDavid, Draisaitl, and company in their forward group, but the concern remains on their blue line. The Avalanche and Oilers seem similar in that they are tip-toeing on a tightrope between deep playoff runs. Success typically equals turnover in professional sports, and both clubs seem to be rebuilding on the fly around their generational talent. The Avalanche have won the last three meetings between these clubs and have a Stanley Cup for their success. Will it be more of the same tonight?

Projected Lineup:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor McDavid — Kasperi Kapanen
Vasily Podkolzin — Leon Draisaitl — Connor Brown
Jeff Skinner — Adam Henrique — Mattias Janmark
Drake Caggiula — Derek Ryan — Corey Perry

Mattias Ekholm — Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse — Troy Stecher
Brett Kulak — Ty Emberson

Goaltenders

I don’t think we will get Wedgewood as early as tonight, so that leaves Georgiev. As I mentioned earlier, Scott can get from Minnesota to Edmonton for a quick impromptu start, but I bet the Avalanche want to let him settle in a bit. Stuart Skinner is the unconfirmed netminder for the Oilers.