Another Avs gameday, another game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Colorado Avalanche will host Connor Bedard, and the Chicago Blackhawks for the second meeting of the two clubs in the past week. On Thursday, the Avalanche handled the struggling Blackhawks by a score of 5-0, seeing young netminder Justus Annunen collect his first career NHL shutout, and the club will look for a similar result on home ice tonight.
Colorado Avalanche (37-20-5)
It should go without saying, but Colorado absolutely needs to take care of business tonight. On Thursday, the expectation was to beat down the Blackhawks, as the club has managed to pick up one single win since the team returned from the all-star break amidst a rebuilding process.
The importance of winning this game increased tenfold Saturday night, after an embarrassing 5-1 defeat to the surging Nashville Predators. In a one-goal game entering the final frame, Colorado completely no-showed, being outshot 16-7 in the period.
There’s no room for error against clubs in Chicago’s position, especially when you’re a club that has to prove themselves as serious contenders after another letdown performance, which has been far too common for the Avs post-all-star break.
Valeri Nichushkin was at morning skate, dawning a white fourth-line jersey. With no power-play jersey on, it’s hard to imagine he slots back into the lineup tonight. Bednar hopes to have Val back this week, though.
Josh Manson was not present at morning skate. According to Head Coach Jared Bednar, Manson is doubtful to go tonight, dealing with a lower-body injury. Caleb Jones will slot into the lineup in Manson’s place.
Justus Annunen will look to repeat Thursday’s performance in net against the same opponent. In his past 3 appearances, Annunen has shown strong, posting a 1.99 GAA, a .934 SV%, and a 1-1-1 record. Another strong outing will go a long way for the young netminder.
Projected Lines
Artturi Lehkonen (62) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Miles Wood (28) – Ross Colton (20) – Logan O’Connor (25)
Zach Parise (9) – Ryan Johansen (12) – Jonathan Drouin (27)
Andrew Cogliano (11) – Chris Wagner (14) – Joel Kiviranta (94)
Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Samuel Girard (49) – Josh Manson (42)
Bowen Byram (4) – Jack Johnson (3)
Justus Annunen (60)
Chicago Blackhawks (15-41-5)
There’s not much left to say about this club. They’re in the middle of a long rebuild, and currently, Connor Bedard is on an island. Following their 5-0 loss to the Avs, they fell 5-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, as they struggled to generate offense for the majority of the game.
Additionally, Chicago hasn’t won a road contest in over four months. Their last victory away from United Center occurred on Nov. 9, 2023, in a 5-3 win over a Tampa Bay Lightning team without Andrei Vasilevskiy. They’ve lost 21 road games in a row since. DO NOT allow that to end in your building.
The Blackhawks’ goal is Macklin Celebrini, it’s as simple as that. Colorado needs to take care of business. Petr Mrazek figures to start between the pipes again for Chicago. In five previous appearances against the Avs as a Blackhawk, Mrazek is 2-3-0 with a 3.60 GAA and .899 SV%.
Projected Lines
Ryan Donato (8) – Connor Bedard (98) – Philipp Kurashev (23)
Colin Blackwell (43) – Jason Dickinson (16) – Joey Anderson (15)
Nick Foligno (17) – Tyler Johnson (90) – Taylor Raddysh (11)
Boris Katchouk (14) MacKenzie Entwistle (58) – Anthony Beauvillier (91)
Alex Vlasic (72) – Seth Jones (4)
Kevin Korchinski (55) – Jaycob Megna (24)
Jarred Tinordi (25) – Louis Crevier (46)
Petr Mrazek (34)
Broadcast Details
Time: 7:00 p.m. MT
Watch: Altitude, NBCSCH, ESPN+ (Out of Market Only)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio FM 92.5
Opponent’s Beat: Second City Hockey