It’s Frozen Frenzy day, with all 32 NHL teams playing in 16 games starting at 4 p.m. MT, and the Avalanche will meet the Dallas Stars in Texas for the first of a home-and-home series at 6:30 p.m. MT!
The Stars are fresh off a 2-1 SO loss in Pittsburgh, and the Avalanche arrive in Dallas on the heels of their worst loss of the short season against Toronto on home ice. Which Central Division powerhouse will prevail in ‘Big D’?
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Colorado Avalanche: 3-2-0
The Opponent: Dallas Stars (2-2-1)
Time: 6:30 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN, ESPN+
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are likely pining to hit the ice again after their performance against the Maple Leafs this past Saturday. The days since have been filled with talk of potential goalie concerns, defensive lapses, and, of course, more on Avalanche power-play production.
I find myself dancing between seeing genuinely concerning things and knowing it’s far too early in the season to draw many conclusions about this Colorado club. Many of my fears about this team have surfaced in their two losses, but even more about why they should be a legitimate threat to win it all bubble up in their victories.
I’d love to see the Avalanche win a defensively structured, playoff-like game in this home-and-home against Dallas, as I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect at least a split series. That said, they are far more likely to secure the sweep if they tighten up their defense and stop playing like a team still in summer shinny mode. Colorado needs to raise their grown-up game against their fiercest rival.
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Speaking of raising the level, Mackenzie Blackwood will get the net tonight, so he’ll have a chance to sway some detractors and show resolve after a tough 17-save, 23-shot evening in his last start. If that doesn’t happen, former Star Scott Wedgewood will get a crack at planting the seeds of a goalie controversy tomorrow night.
Projected Lineup:
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Nazem Kadri
Jaden Schwartz — Fedor Svechkov — T.J. Hughes
Zachary L’Heureux — Nicolas Roy —Parker Kelly
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Brett Kulak — Sam Malinski
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
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Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Dallas Stars
The Stars have gotten off to a slower start than I think most fans and pundits expected, but it’s not because of a lack of production from former Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen, who has 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists). Scoring, however, has been the issue for the group as a whole. Dallas has scored 1 or fewer goals in each of its three defeats, including a shutout by the St. Louis Blues in their home opener.
Goaltender Jake Oettinger has looked excellent in his four starts, posting a 0.74 goals-against average and a .963 shot percentage, with two shutouts already on the books. Historically, Oettinger has been just okay against the Colorado Avalanche in the regular season, with a career regular-season 7-3-3 record, a .911 sv%, and a 3.05 GAA. Colorado’s 40 regular-season goals against Oettinger are the most he’s allowed to any one team in his career.
Projected Lineup:
Sam Steel — Wyatt Johnston — Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson — Roope Hintz — Jamie Benn
Justin Hryckowian — Arttu Hyry — Tyler Seguin
Oskar Back — Radek Faksa — Colin Blackwell
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Esa Lindell — Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley — Nils Lundkvist
Lian Bichsel — Tyler Myers
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
NOTE: Don’t forget to download the new SB Nation app for a more mobile-friendly way to follow tonight’s action and engage with Mile High Hockey’s match threads. The Game Chat feature makes it easier than ever to comment and interact with your communities. The app is currently available in the U.S. and Canada on iOS and Android devices.
