After wrapping up a three-game road trip through Canada, the Colorado Avalanche are back on home ice tonight to take on the Detroit Red Wings. This will be the final regular-season meeting between the two teams, with Colorado having claimed a 2-1 victory in their first encounter in Detroit.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche enter the matchup on a high note after securing a shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens, adding two more crucial points to their standings total. Brock Nelson played the hero in that game, netting his third goal in as many contests.
Nelson, along with Colorado’s other recent acquisitions, appears to be settling in just in time for the postseason push. With the playoffs quickly approaching, the team is running out of time to fine-tune its chemistry.
On the injury front, defensemen Erik Johnson and Sam Girard were absent from practice yesterday and are questionable for tonight’s game. As a precaution, Jacob MacDonald has been called up from the Colorado Eagles. If he takes the ice, he will become the 49th player to suit up for the Avalanche this season.
Projected Lineup
Forwards:
Jonathan Drouin – Nathan MacKinnon – Valeri Nichushkin
Artturi Lehkonen – Brock Nelson – Martin Necas
Joel Kiviranta – Charlie Coyle – Ross Colton
Miles Wood – Jack Drury – Jimmy Vesey
Defense:
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Ryan Lindgren – Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton – Erik Johnson
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit enters tonight’s game on the second night of a back-to-back after securing a key victory over the Utah Hockey Club.
With the regular season winding down and playoff spots getting locked in, the Red Wings are still in the hunt for a wild card position in the Eastern Conference. Sitting just three points behind the final playoff spot, Detroit is in must-win mode. Like Montreal, who the Avalanche just faced, the Red Wings will be fighting for every point they can get.
Projected Lineup
Forwards:
Michael Rasmussen – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat – Marco Kasper – Patrick Kane
Elmer Söderblom – JT Compher – Vladimir Tarasenko
Austin Watson – Tyler Motte – Craig Smith
Defense:
Ben Chiarot – Moritz Seider
Simon Edvinsson – Jeff Petry
Albert Johansson – Justin Holl
Goaltenders
Detroit will likely turn to Cam Talbot in net, as Alex Lyon played last night against Utah. Meanwhile, Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to get the start for Colorado.
