Can the Avalanche make it six in a row?
It was a busy morning for the Colorado Avalanche with a Gabe Landeskog signifying at morning skate and an extension for depth defenseman Keaton Middleton announced. Still, there is a game to play tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. The Avalanche look to extend their five-game win streak and the Sabres hoping to build on a recent stretch of better play as they avenge the loss in Buffalo against the Avalanche where they let a 4-0 lead slip away.
Colorado Avalanche
With Val Nichushkin out of the lineup with a day-to-day lower body injury presumably Casey Mittelstadt moves back to the second line from the fourth line to face his former team. The Avalanche recalled Oskar Olausson, who will be the 40th player to dress for the team this season and surely slots in on the fourth line.
Projected Lineup
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen
Jonathan Drouin – Casey Mittelstadt – Ross Colton
Joel Kiviranta – Parker Kelly – Logan O’Connor
Jere Innala – Juuso Parssinen – Oskar Olausson
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Sam Girard – Josh Manson
Keaton Middleton – Sam Malinski
Buffalo Sabres
After recently getting Rasmus Dahlin back from injury the Sabres have won three of their last four games. Let’s not forget this game is the return of Bowen Byram to Denver, who is enjoying his expanded role and 21 points on the year so far.
Entering Tuesday, only 8 players in the NHL had been on the ice for more 5-on-5 goals scored than Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (37).
Karlsson, Kucherov, Quinn Hughes, Chabot, Eichel, Pietrangelo and Hanifin.
Byram had a +10 at 5-on-5 and only 13 players logged more ice time.
— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) January 1, 2025
Projected Lineup
Jason Zucker – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jack Quinn – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka
Zach Benson – Juri Kulich – Peyton Krebs
Beck Malenstyn – Ryan McLeod – Sam Laffery
Rasmus Dahlin – Bowen Byram
Mattias Samuelsson – Owen Power
Jacob Bryson – Connor Clifton
Goaltenders
Scott Wedgewood is taking the crease for Colorado as he hasn’t played since the 4-2 win in Anaheim on December 20th and he also picked up the win in the comeback in Buffalo. For the Sabres their starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to take the crease.