The Avalanche will play five of the next six games at the Pepsi Center, starting Tuesday against Detroit, and they’d best take advantage to stay in the playoff race.
The
GAME NOTES
Losing in Anaheim on Sunday didn’t help matters after beginning the two-game California trip with a loss in San Jose.
The Avalanche remain 10th in the Western Conference with 68 points and now trail Minnesota by three points for the second wild card position in the Western Conference. They also are three points behind Dallas, which has the first wild card.
The Avalanche play in Dallas on Thursday, but first things first.
They really need to defeat the Red Wings, who have lost seven games in a row (0-5-2) while being outscored 33-17. Only Ottawa (51 points) has fewer points than Detroit’s 55.
Semyon Varlamov will start. He’s gone 5-2-1 with one shutout, a 2.12 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in his past eight starts.
Jonathan Bernier, who played so well for the Avalanche last season, is expected to start for Detroit.
Avalanche coach
Jared Bednar will reunite the
Gabriel Landeskog-Nathan MacKinnon-Mikko Rantanen line and make a couple changes on the other lines.
“I really liked them and we have bounced them back together here over the last few games,” Bednar said after the morning skate. “We tried some different guys in there, and I feel like they are more dangerous as a threesome.”
Gabriel Bourque and
Ryan Graves will be healthy scratches.
The lineup:
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Colin Wilson – Carl Soderberg – J.T. Compher
Derick Brassard – Tyson Jost – Matt Calvert
Alexander Kerfoot -- Sheldon Dries -- Sven Andrighetto
Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson
Ian Cole -- Tyson Barrie
Patrik Nemeth – Nikita Zadorov
Semyon Varlamov
Philipp Grubauer
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • 
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