A snowy Saturday night in December just screams the perfect conditions for hockey. Tonight, we will see just that from Ball Arena between the Colorado Avalanche and visiting Philadelphia Flyers.
Amid this five-game home stand for the Avalanche, they are looking to take as much as possible from their longest stretch at home all season. Plus, they have a familiar face back with the team which just might push them over the edge.
Colorado Avalanche (16-8-2)
The Avs are coming off a disappointing 4-2 loss to the division-rival Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night. Similar to their previous losses on the West Coast swing, they did not play 100% and were lacking up and down the ice.
While Nathan MacKinnon was easily the best player of the night with a goal and an assist, he cannot do it all. His Finnish teammate Mikko Rantanen has been a shell of himself the last few games, still on a long scoreless streak.
Cale Makar also didn’t impress in his return from injury and still doesn’t look fully healthy. But, Valeri Nichushkin looks to be returning from illness this week. Can they put it all together for a full 60 minutes and get back to winning ways in front of what should be a rowdy crowd?
Projected Lines
Valeri Nichushkin (13) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Tomas Tatar (90) – Ross Colton (20) – Jonathan Drouin (27)
Miles Wood (28) – Ryan Johansen (12) – Logan O’Connor (25)
Andrew Cogliano (11) – Frederik Olofsson (22) – Kurtis MacDermid (56)
Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Bowen Byram (4) – Josh Manson (42)
Jack Johnson (3) – Sam Malinski (70)
Ivan Prosvetov (50)
Philadelphia Flyers (14-10-2)
Philly is coming to the Mile High City off an impressive 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes Thursday night. This is the middle game of a three-game road trip out West for them, which has worked well for them so far.
Much of the season has worked well for the Flyers, as they surprisingly sit in second in the Metropolitan Division. While John Torterella’s men weren’t looking to be competitive and with some even saying they’d be the worst laughingstock in the league, they have turned heads with their performances.
Much of their help has come from Travis Konecny, who has 14 goals and seven assists in 26 games. Travis Sanheim has been dishing the puck from the blue line, as he leads the team with an impressive 16 assists. Plus, Carter Hart has had a resurgence after an atrocious 2022-23 season. Can Philadelphia turn even more heads by beating the Avalanche on home ice?
Projected Lines
Tyson Foerster (71) – Sean Couturier (14) – Travis Konecny (11)
Joel Farabee (86) – Scott Laughton (21) – Cam Atkinson (89)
Owen Tippett (74) – Morgan Frost (48) – Bobby Brink (10)
Nicolas Deslaurieris (44) – Garnet Hathaway (19)
Cam York (8) – Travis Sanheim (6)
Nick Seeler (24) – Sean Walker (26)
Egor Zamula (5) – Rasmus Ristolainen (55)
Marc Staal (18)
Carter Hart (79)
Broadcast Details
Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. MT
Watch: Altitude, NBCSP, ESPN+ (Out of Market Only)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio FM 92.5, AM 950
Opponent’s Beat: Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey)