Biggest game of the season for the Avalanche on Tuesday in Minnesota.
Are they up to it?
GAME NOTES
The Avalanche will use the same lineup against the Wild that they did Sunday in a 3-0 win against New Jersey, which means
Philipp Grubauer starts (as he certainly should) and
Ryan Graves suits up as a seventh defenseman and/or fourth-line right wing.
Andrew Agozzino will be a healthy scratch, along with
A.J. Greer, who was recalled Monday from the Colorado Eagles.
Grubauer has posted three shutouts in his past five starts and has a 0.79 goals-against average and .971 save percentage in his past six appearances.
He’s 12-9-3 overall in 29 games and has lowered his season goals-against average under 3 for the first time in what seems eons to 2.90. His save percentage is .904.
Ten games remain in the regular season, and the Avalanche can climb within two points of Arizona (which lost to Tampa Bay on Monday) for the second wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference.
This game is just as important to the Wild, who trail Arizona by one point and can move into the second wild card position with a win; they lead the Avalanche by three points and will have eight games left after this one.
"We have to continue to break it down one game at a time, and this game is important, probably even more important for us because we're chasing them, trying to track them down here for a playoff spot,” Avalanche coach
Jared Bednar told reporters after the morning skate.
“Every inch of ground that we can gain with 10 games to go is very important.”
The lineup;
Derick Brassard -- Nathan MacKinnon -- J.T. Compher
Colin Wilson -- Carl Soderberg -- Mikko Rantanen
Alexander Kerfoot -- Tyson Jost -- Matt Calvert
Gabriel Bourque -- Sven Andrighetto
Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson
Ian Cole -- Tyson Barrie
Nikita Zadorov -- Patrik Nemeth
Ryan Graves
Philipp Grubauer
Semyon Varlamov