The Colorado Avalanche (31-2-7) continue their road trip with the second of a back-to-back against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers (21-16-3). Puck drop is scheduled for 3:08 p.m. MT.
READ MORE: 10 Takeaways: Hurricanes Are Latest Victim of Avalanche’s Third-Period Dominance
Key Stories to Watch
The Avalanche are coming off a 5-3 victory over Carolina, which was the result of a four-goal third period to erase a multi-goal deficit. Colorado has won 10 straight games and has an opportunity to pass the 70-point threshold at the halfway mark of the regular season.
Scott Wedgewood played in Carolina on Saturday. Will Jared Bednar give him both games of the back-to-back? It’s a possibility. When Wedgewood was hurt last month, Bednar rolled with Mackenzie Blackwood for all three games of a road trip that also spanned four games. Blackwood played on Dec. 4 on Long Island, and then on back-to-back days on Dec. 6-7. Wedgewood may be seeing a similar workload with Blackwood out of the lineup. We’ll find out closer to puck drop.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on whether Devon Toews will be able to play. Toews missed a few shifts in the third period in Carolina after getting tripped up by Nikolaj Ehlers and crashing awkwardly into the boards. He returned and finished the game.
The Panthers are coming off an embarrassing 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic in Miami, as they hosted the first-ever outdoor game in Florida. Seth Jones left that game with an upper-body injury, and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to dress against the Avs. The Panthers are still missing Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Dmitry Kulikov, and other depth pieces.
Season Series
Dec. 11 vs Florida Panthers (W, 6-2)
Jan. 4 at Florida Panthers
Avalanche Injuries
Logan O’Connor (undisclosed, TBD)
Joel Kiviranta (lower body, day to day)
Gavin Brindley (upper body, day to day)
Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body, IR)
READ MORE: Martin Necas Talks Struggling Avalanche Power Play (+)
Projected Avalanche Lines (Subject to Change)
Gabriel Landeskog — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Artturi Lehkonen — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson
Taylor Makar — Parker Kelly — Zakhar Bardakov
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski
Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner
READ MORE: Postgame Wrap: Avalanche Score 4 in Third Period, Defeat Carolina Hurricanes 5-3
Projected Starters (Subject to Change)
Unconfirmed: Scott Wedgewood (COL)
Unconfirmed: Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA)
Upcoming Milestones
Samuel Girard — needs 3 assists for 200
Parker Kelly — needs 3 games for 300
Devon Toews — needs 9 points for 300
How to Watch
TV: Altitude TV
Radio: 92.5 FM
