Preview: Avalanche looks to rebound against surging hurricanes

Maybe we’ll get a weather omen today?

After losing a hard-fought battle to the Jets in Winnipeg on Thursday night, the Avalanche return to Ball Arena in snowy downtown Denver to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. There was a lot to like in the second half of Colorado’s game, but after the Jets’ early 1-0 goal from Gabriel Vilardi, they were unable to score against Connor Hellebuyck. A rebound won’t be easy tonight as the Hurricanes come into this competition as another top-five opponent in the table and are only behind the Jets in goals conceded.

Let’s get into it.

Colorado avalanche:

As mentioned, the Avs had a pretty good performance overall in Winnipeg on Thursday. Winnipeg’s only goal came in the first minute of the contest as a result of an odd rush, underscoring the need to start tonight’s game against Carolina on time. Colorado came out of the gate flat against the Jets, and although it only cost them one goal, the game could have gotten out of hand early due to the lack of detail in Colorado’s game.

While Jonathan Drouin, Valeri Nichushkin and Miles Wood are close to returning, none of the three are expected to leave tonight. Colorado expects to have the same lineup as last night as they wait for more players to return.

Additionally, Justus Annunen and Kaapo Kahkonen were the two goaltenders on the ice before the morning skate, suggesting the Avs could call on Alexandar Georgiev between the posts for the second straight game tonight. He was outstanding in Winnipeg. There wasn’t much Georgiev could do to stop Winnipeg from scoring its only goal, and he shut the door the rest of the night, stopping 27 of 28 shots. The only player to play better than Georgiev in this game was Connor Hellebuyck, who posted a 35-save shutout.

Projected lines:

Artturi Lehkonen (62) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Joel Kiviranta (94) – Casey Mittelstadt (37) – Logan O’Connor (25)
Ivan Ivan (82) – Parker Kelly (17) – Nikolai Kovalenko (51)
Nikita Prishchepov (85) – Chris Wagner (14) – TJ Tynan (9)

Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Samuel Girard (49) – Josh Manson (42)
Calvin De Haan (44) – Sam Malinski (70)

Alexander Georgiev (40)
Justus Annunen (60)

Carolina Hurricanes:

As for the Hurricanes, they begin a three-game road trip tonight in Denver. They are hotter than any other team in the NHL tonight and have won their most recent four games at home as part of a league-leading eight-game winning streak. They’re playing great hockey right now. They are third in the NHL with 4.17 goals conceded per game, and they back that up with an average of 2.33 goals conceded per game. In this regard, they are only second to the Winnipeg Jets, who are currently at the top in both statistical categories.

Carolina’s roster is as full of talent as ever, boasting a solid mix of elite talent and grit, with a good mix of veterans and young players. They have maintained their identity as one of the best defensemen in all of hockey, solidifying it this summer by signing former Avs defenseman Sean Walker to a five-year contract.

Carolina is in pretty good shape due to injuries. The only players out for the Hurricanes are forward Jesper Fast, who is not expected to play this season after undergoing neck surgery in the offseason, and starting goaltender Frederik Andersen, who was injured in late October and has been out since.

In Andersen’s absence, young Russian goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has retained the blue color for the Canes. He currently has a season record of 7-1-0, with a GAA of 2.51 and an SV% of .896. He got the job done with Andersen, but there’s another level he needs to find with his game.

Projected lines:

Andrei Svechnikov (37) – Sebastian Aho (20) – Jack Roslovic (96)
Eric Robinson (50) – Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) – Martin Necas (88)
Jordan Martinook (48) – Jordan Staal (11) – Seth Jarvis (24)
William Carrier (28) – Jack Drury (18) – Jackson Blake (53)

Jaccob Slavin (74) – Brent Burns (8)
Shayne Gostisbehere (4) – Sean Walker (26)
Dimitry Orlov (7) – Jalen Chatfield (5)

Pyotr Kochetkov (52)
Spencer Martin (41)

Where to see:

This game will be broadcast on Altitude, Altitude+ and ESPN+.

Radio listeners can tune into Altitude Sports Radio at 92.5 FM.