Match-up - Colorado Avalanche (35-14-5) @ New Jersey Devils (23-21-12)
Road/Home records - 16-7-2 -------------- 12-7-6
TV - NBCSN
Puck drop - 7:30 p.m. ET
Season series - Avs lead 1-0
Last 10: Avalanche 8-2-0 / Devils 4-3-3
Projected starting goalies - J.S. Giguere vs Cory Schneider



Projected lines for the Avalanche:

Gabriel Landeskog - Nathan MacKinnon - P.A. Parenteau
Ryan O'Reilly - Matt Duchene - Jamie McGinn
Max Talbot - John Mitchell - Cody McLeod
Ryan Wilson - Marc-Andre Cliche - Patrick Bordeleau

Jan Hejda - Erik Johnson
Nate Guenin - Andre Benoit
Nick Holden - Tyson Barrie

Projected lines for the Devils:

Dainius Zubrus - Travis Zajac - Jaromir Jagr
Patrik Elias - Andrei Loktionov - Damien Brunner
Ryan Clowe - Adam Henrique - Michael Ryder
Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier

Andy Greene - Mark Fayne
Jon Merrill - Marek Zidlicky
Bryce Salvador - Pete Harrold(!)

Game notes:

- The big story here is the expected return of Pete Harrold, well known for being a mediocre defenseman who gets thrown around like a football. He was activated from injured reserve and the expectation is he'll replace an injured Anton Volchenkov. Joking aside I think Harrold is an upgrade over Volchenkov against a team with as much speed as Colorado. Harrold is a better skater and is quicker on his feet which will help him when trying to defend against Avalanche forwards, especially in the transition game.

- Nathan MacKinnon enters the game red hot as he has points in four consecutive games and seven points (three goals, four assists) in that span. The rookie forward has 20 goals and 40 points on the year and is quietly having an excellent season in Colorado. He should probably be talked about a lot more than he has been.

- The Avalanche forwards are about as explosive as they come in terms of speed, skill and game breaking ability. If the Devils get caught flat footed or have bad pinches that lead to odd man rushes, which has been a big problem of late, the Avalanche will make them pay. New Jersey has to keep their feet moving and make sure they don't over commit on anything.

- New Jersey likes to get in on the forecheck, cycle, work the defense behind the net and create chances that way, which may be tough tonight. All but two defenseman the Avs are expected to dress tonight are at least 6'3', so expect some heavy battles along the boards and in the corners. If the Devils can win their fair share of those and establish a cycle game they should be fine, but it'll be tough.

- Cory Schneider will be making his 4th consecutive start since Martin Brodeur's poor showing against the Rangers in the outdoor game. Those starts included a back-to-back situation with the 2nd game being against an offensively challenged Predators team, so I think No. 35 getting both starts was Pete DeBoer handing the keys to Schneider. The Devils need points and Schneider has played exceptional over the last few weeks, so I think Schneider should and will see a lot of action down the stretch.

- Patrik Elias has eight points in his last six games...Jaromir Jagr has four multi-point efforts in his last five and is just two goals away from 700...Travis Zajac has eight points in his last six.

- Depending on what happens with Columbus (@ Anahaim), Detroit (vs Vancouver) and Ottawa (@ Pittsburgh) the Devils could move into a playoff spot with a win at home tonight.

**

- I recently posted my midseason rankings for the top-30 first-year NHL draft eligible players from the OHL. You can view that here.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow Todd on Twitter @ToddCordell!

Email: [email protected]