The Colorado Avalanche face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the last game of an eight-day road trip. The Avalanche, 16-13-0 on the season, have won three out of their four games on the road and look to come home with a 4-1-0 record.
Though a trade yesterday brought goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood onto the Avalanche roster, he will not be joining the team in Pittsburgh. In the meantime, Scott Wedgewood will hold down the crease, with Trent Miner (called up from the Colorado Eagles) backing up.
Related: Newest Avalanche Goaltender to Join the Team in Denver on Thursday
Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan confirmed this morning that Tristan Jarry will start in goal on the other end of the ice.
A Hefty Milestone
Winger Mikko Rantanen is set to play in his 600th career game on Tuesday night. In ten seasons with the Avalanche, he has amassed a total of 654 points (277 goals, 377 assists). This season alone, he’s recorded 15 goals and 22 assists. The goal count for this season currently leads the team, the next player on the list being Nathan MacKinnon with nine.
Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Rantanen also sits at second on the team in points and third in assists. He also leads the team in power-play goals.
How the Momentum Continues…
Head Coach Jared Bednar mentioned that he thought Sunday’s game against the New Jersey Devils was their best game of the season defensively.
“I felt like we looked really organized, really disciplined and we were above the puck early. It’s a really good offensive team we’re playing there and I felt we made it difficult on them to generate any type of speed and find open ice all the time. Then in the defensive zone, it looked like we were really organized. It’s what my problem was with our game the other night in Carolina. I thought we did a nice job in Detroit, and I felt like it took another step on that side of it for sure tonight.”
Injury issues throughout the lineup have made finding a consistent game all season difficult for this team, not to mention the goaltending inconsistencies. With a goaltender who put up an airtight performance in Scott Wedgewood on Sunday night, the team was able to put up an incredible showing against the 5th-place team in the league. Calvin de Haan was the only defenseman to show up on the points sheet, but Cale Makar and Devon Toews put up a fight with blocked shots. MacKinnon’s line also did a fantastic job getting in front of pucks in the defensive zone, something they’ve struggled with in games past.
A Team Debut
Winger Givani Smith, part of the trade return that sent Georgiev to the Sharks, will make his debut with the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
Smith is considered to be an enforcer, so while he hasn’t recorded any points in the six games he’s played with the Sharks this season, he’ll add some much-needed bite and physicality to Colorado’s fourth line.
Where/How to Watch:
Local broadcasts will host the game for both teams tonight. Coloradans can find the broadcast on Altitude+ with Marc Moser and Mark Rycroft holding the fort down. Conor McGahey will bring you the play-by-play on Altitude Sports Radio.
Local fans of the Penguins can find Tuesday’s game on SportsNet-Pittsburgh.
