The Avs see the Stars for the first time since last Spring
It’s an Avalanche game day!
After the Colorado Avalanche were turned aside by the Dallas Stars in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring, the Avs and Stars will meet for the first time this season. With both teams coming into this contest with disastrous performances in the rearview, the Avs will be looking to build on the success of their bounceback performance against the Vegas Golden Knights, while the Stars look to start their own bounceback after falling to the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday 6-2.
Colorado Avalanche:
The Avs will be looking to turn Thanksgiving week into a success despite their drubbing in Tampa on Monday with a win in Dallas to pair with their victory at home against Vegas. Unfortunately they’ll be making that effort with a newly depleted lineup, as both Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood are out due to injury and the latter was placed on injured reserve again this week.
The team has learned to play without these two wingers, and guys who stepped up earlier in the season will need to find a way to contribute yet again. Chris Wagner will step into Wood’s spot on the fourth line alongside Chase Bradley, who played a solid game in his NHL debut against the Golden Knights.
On the blue line, Oliver Kylington has looked much better in his last two games than his disastrous early season start, but picked up an injury as well and didn’t make the trip to Dallas. Calvin de Haan will need to bounce back from a rough Lightning game to solidify the bottom pair.
Expect to see Alexandar Georgiev in net. There’s no way to know which version of him we’ll get, but if the Avs play impeccable defense like they did against Vegas, it shouldn’t matter too much.
Projected Lines:
Artturi Lehkonen (62) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Valeri Nichushkin (13)
Ivan Ivan (82) – Casey Mittelstadt (37) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Joel Kiviranta (94) – Parker Kelly (17) – Nikolai Kovalenko (51)
Chase Bradley (38) – Chris Wagner (14) – Logan O’Connor (25)
Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Samuel Girard (49) – Josh Manson (42)
Calvin de Haan (44) – Sam Malinski (70)
Alexandar Georgiev (40)
Dallas Stars:
The Stars have dropped three of their last five, and let in six goals in each of their last two games. That’s not the stingy Stars we’ve grown accustomed to in the last few years, but with top center Roope Hintz dinged up their missing a key contributor in all three zones.
Their forward lineup without him is still dangerous, but their blueline has taken a huge step back from last year with Ilya Lyubushkin, Brendan Smith, and Matt Dumba replacing Chris Tanev and Ryan Suter. Those are two of the best defensive defenseman in the league despite their advanced ages, and Lyubushkin has been decent but Smith and Dumba have been predictably leaky.
Also somewhat leaky? Their goaltending. Jake Oettinger has been mostly great, with a .912 save percentage this year the Avs would simply die for, but every time he has given up more than three goals the Stars have lost. Casey DeSmith has given up three almost every start and lost all of those as well.
Projected Lines:
Jason Robertson (21) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Logan Stankoven (11)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Tyler Seguin (91)
Jamie Benn (14) Mavrik Bourque (22) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Oskar Back (10) – Sam Steel (18) – Colin Blackwell (15)
Esa Lindell (23) – Miro Heiskanen (4)
Thomas Harley (55) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46)
Brendan Smith (2) – Matt Dumba (3)
Jake Oettinger (30)
Where to Watch:
This game will be broadcast nationwide on TNT. Unlike Wednesday, Altitude will have no broadcast tonight, which will lift the regional black out on tht TNT channel for Colorado based viewers. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00p.m. MT.