Colorado Avalanche Gameday: Matt Duchene and the Predators come to town

1 year ago  /  Mile High Hockey

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports


Both teams are trending in opposite directions right now, and it should make for an interesting contest After a couple of weeks of doom and gloom, the Colorado Avalanche are finally getting healthy, and they have put together an encouraging stretch of play. Their three-game point streak was derailed last time against Buffalo, as they were just a bit too sloppy to take advantage of a game they largely controlled from start to finish, but there is still plenty of hope that the worst is behind them. The Avs will look to bounce back against Nashville, who sit just four points behind the Avs despite their -19 goal differential, which is fourth-worst in the Western Conference, making them a bit of an enigma right now.

Colorado Avalanche
Five games ago, I titled my game preview “The Colorado Eagles host the Boston Bruins.” That night, the Avs started a whopping eight players from the AHL (nine if you count Martin Kaut, who was sent down not too long afterward), and things looked about as bleak for the Avs as it gets. Since then, Artturi Lehkonen, Val Nichushkin, and Evan Rodrigues have returned, while Darren Helm and Kurtis MacDermid are practicing. Every other day we get a new report on Gabriel Landeskog skating, and Bowen Byram has been spotted in workout clothes at practice while Josh Manson continues to skate in a non-contact jersey. It seems as if the worst of the injury bug has passed the Avs, and the lines are looking much more robust as a new NHLer gets added to the lineup every week these days.
In the practice following the Sabres game, Jared Bednar tried out two new top lines as he welcomes key forwards back, which will likely shuffle some of the bottom six, particularly the Hudon-Meyers-Foudy line that has played so well together. With J.T. Compher being elevated to the top line, that likely means Ben Meyers will get his spot between Andrew Cogliano and Logan O’Connor. However, Bednar has proven he will shuffle lines in-game if he is not happy with how a line looks, so don’t be surprised to see Charles Hudon on the ground line, given his impressive play as of late.
Projected Lineup
Mikko Rantanen (96) – J.T. Compher (37) – Artturi Lehkonen (62)
Alex Newhook (18) – Evan Rodrigues (9) – Val Nichushkin (13)
Andrew Cogliano (11) – Ben Meyers (59) – Logan O’Connor (25)
Dryden Hunt (22) – Charles Hudon (54) – Jean-Luc Foudy (93)
Cale Makar (8) – Devon Toews (7)
Erik Johnson (6) – Samuel Girard (49)
Andreas Englund (88) – Brad Hunt (17)
Nashville Predators
If this game had been played two weeks ago, Predators fans would have likely felt great about it. After losing to the Avalanche on November 10th, they won seven out of their next nine and were in the thick of the playoff chase. Since then, they have lost five straight and are fading out of a competitive playoff chase in the west. It’s too early to rule anyone out (other than Anaheim and Chicago, who are firmly in the bomb for Bedard sweepstakes). Still, the Predators will likely play a desperate game to turn around their fortunes and reestablish themselves as a threat to claim a playoff spot.
Projected Lineup
Filip Forsberg (9) — Mikael Granlund (64) – Matt Duchene (95)
Nino Niederreiter (22) – Cody Glass (8) – Colton Sissons (10)
Cole Smith (36) – Ryan Johansen (92) – Mark Jankowski (17)
Yakov Trenin (13) — Juuso Parssinen (75) – Tanner Jeannot (84)
Roman Josi (59) – Jordan Gross (46)
Mattias Ekholm (14) – Dante Fabbro (57)
Kevin Gravel (5) – Roland Mckeown (55)
Goaltenders
Colorado had recalled Jonas Johansson ahead of the last game against Buffalo, as Pavel Francouz was sick. Still, Johansson was sent back down to the AHL after the game, so it does not seem to be anything serious. Under normal circumstances, this is the kind of contest the Avalanche backup would likely start. However, if he still has any lingering issues, we’ll probably see Aleksandar Georgiev in net. Juuse Saros should get the call for Nashville, as they will indeed be putting their best foot forward tonight in an attempt to end their losing streak. ...

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