The Colorado Avalanche are all set for their matinee showdown with the Buffalo Sabres out east. The 12 p.m. ET start time means Avalanche fans will be watching hockey before their lunch break! Don’t get yourself in trouble today if you are at work, but also, make sure you catch this potential bounce-back performance from the boys in burgundy and blue. Will the Sabres snag their first win of the new season, or will the Avalanche continue their suffering?
Colorado Avalanche: 2-0-1
The Opponent: Buffalo Sabres 0-2-0
Time: 10 a.m.
MT
Watch: Altitude, Altitude+
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
Well, it was another showdown with the Dallas Stars and former Avalanche Mikko Rantanen, and once again, the Stars snag the two points, and naturally, Mikko scored the game-winning shutout goal. Colorado’s loss to Dallas wasn’t for a lack of trying, as they controlled the puck and play for most of that game. On brand with how things have gone against Dallas, Colorado solved everything but Jake Oettinger, who stole this one without a doubt. There are, however, some positives for Colorado to build on.
The power play might be 3/15 (20%) on the newly minted season, but it has, in fact, looked better than it did last season. Colorado did plenty to create high-danger chances against Dallas while on the advantage, but Jake Oettinger responded. I expect an excellent special teams performance today against a Sabres team that isn’t exactly known for its world-renowned defense.
I’d keep an eye on Val Nichushkin, who came out to play against Dallas and looked to find the higher gear Avs fans have come accustomed to. The second line with Val, Gabe, and Brock Nelson hasn’t gotten off to an astronomic start, but the pieces and the process are there.
I’d bet it’s still Scott Wedgewood in between the pipes for Colorado, with not much word on the MacKenzie Blackwood front. Scott has done very well as the Avalanche starter with Blackwood still on the mend. So much so that some fans think we may have a 1A/1B situation on our hands again.
Projected Lineup:
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabe Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Viktor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Gavin Brindley
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Sam Girard — Josh Manson
Sam Malinski — Brent Burns
Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner
Editor’s Note: Gavin Brindley scored his first career NHL goal against the Dallas Stars, and the Avalanche have not announced any roster adjustments outside of recalling Jack Achan. That should mean the kid made the road trip!
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres are —the Sabres. They have some scoring talent in Tage Thompson and a familiar face in Bowen Byram on the back end. All things considered, I think the Sabres are a team that will miss the playoffs for a 15th consecutive season.
The Avalanche have to make a habit out of beating teams that they are clearly better than, and so far, so good with wins over LA and Utah. As we see, the hunt for the Central Division will be hotly contested, which means every game is a big game.
Alex Lyon has looked darn good in his first two starts, posting a 28-save performance against the Boston Bruins and a .919 SV% so far this season. Let’s hope the Avs bring him back down to earth a little bit.
Projected Lineup:
Jason Zucker — Jiri Kulich — Tage Thompson
Jack Quinn — Ryan McLeod — Alex Tuch
Justin Danforth — Peyton Krebs — Josh Doan
Beck Malenstyn — Tyson Kozak — Mason Geertsen
Bowen Byram — Rasmus Dahlin
Mattias Samuelsson — Conor Timmins
Jacob Bryson — Owen Power
Alex Lyon
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
It’s matinee hockey time!
