After a brief two-game homestand, the Colorado Avalanche are back in action tonight for an early-afternoon matchup with the old rivals, the Detroit Red Wings.

Colorado Avalanche (35-18-4)

The Avalanche will be looking to get back to their winning ways away from their own barn starting tonight, after taking their last two games in Ball Arena against the Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks respectively. Before those two contests, the Avs returned from the All-Star break to a six-game trip up and down the East Coast that saw them go 1-4-1 for their worst stretch of the season.

Logan O’Connor, who has missed the prior four contests with a lower-body injury, was on the ice this morning for morning skate. Afterwards, Head Coach Jared Bednar confirmed to reporters that LOC will return to the lineup this evening, while also returning to his usual PK duties.

Conversely, Andrew Cogliano will be a gametime decision as he’s “under the weather”, according to Bednar. If he happens not to go tonight, I imagine Chris Wagner will remain in the lineup. Wagner figures to be the odd man out if both Cogliano and O’Connor play.

Alexandar Georgiev will sit out this game in favor of Justus Annunen getting another start. Georgiev has quietly posted his best stretch since the opening month of the season in the last two weeks, and will get an opportunity to rest against a sneaky Detroit team while preparing for a couple of big games coming up.

Projected Lineup

Jonathan Drouin (27) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Miles Wood (28) – Ross Colton (20) – Artturi Lehkonen (62)
Zach Parise (9) – Ryan Johansen (12) – Logan O’Connor (25)
Fredrik Olofsson (22) – Chris Wagner (14) – Joel Kiviranta (94)

Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Samuel Girard (49) – Josh Manson (42)
Jack Johnson (3) – Bowen Byram (4)

Justus Annunen (60)

Detroit Red Wings (29-20-6)

The Red Wings come into this contest after wrapping up a four-game road trip with a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken Monday. The Red Wings have been a steady competitor this season within a tight Eastern Conference. Currently occupying the second and final wild-card spot in the east, Detroit flashes a fine mix of offensive talent, defensive responsibility, and grit that keeps the clubs in hockey games on a nightly basis.

This will be the first time the Avs face off against longtime forward J.T. Compher, who signed a five-year $5 million contract with the Red Wings last July. Compher is enjoying another steady, solid season in his first season as a Red Wing. At 50 games played coming into tonight’s tilt, Compher has 13 goals and 20 assists, for 33 points while maintaining a similar all-situations role in Detroit’s middle six.

Additionally, the club welcomed back forward Patrick Kane from injury following the All-Star break, after he missed the Wings’ final seven games before the All-Star break with a lower-body injury. The injury wasn’t said to be related to his hip replacement surgery that kept him unsigned until December 7, and his return seems to correlate with this information. He has at least a point in each of the Wings’ first five contests since their return from break.

The area that has held Detroit back the most this season is between the pipes, as again the club has struggled to find consistency in their goaltenders. Running a committee of Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, and James Reimer, none of the three netminders have been able to pull away with the starting job. Lyon has been the best out of the three, sporting a 2.83 GAA and .912 SV% in 25 appearances.

Husso, the netminder Colorado is most familiar with of the three, is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered on their four-game road trip and won’t be an option for Detroit. Lyon figures to draw the start.

Projected Lineup

Michael Rasmussen (27) – Dylan Larkin (71) -Patrick Kane (88)
Alex DeBrincat (93) – Compher (37) – Lucas Raymond (23)
Joe Veleno (90) – Andrew Copp (18) – David Perron (57)
Robby Fabbri (14) – Christian Fischer (36) – Daniel Sprong (17)

Jake Walman (96) -Moritz Seider (53)
Ben Chiarot (8) – Jeff Petry (46)
Olli Maatta (2) – Shayne Gostisbehere (41)

Alex Lyon (34)/James Reimer (47)

Broadcast Details

Time: 5:00 p.m. MST

Watch: Altitude 2, Bally Sports Detroit, ESPN+ (Out of Market Only)

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio AM 950

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