Game #31: Ducks vs. Avalanche Gameday Preview

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Ducks look to extend their win streak to three games tonight against the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are coming off a 4-2 win last night against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose. The Ducks are 3-3-1 this season against teams on the second game of a back-to-back (SEGABABA) after beating the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Wednesday.

The last time the Ducks faced the Avalanche was in October in Denver. Lukáš Dostál put on a show-stopping performance to help them earn a point in a game in which they were thoroughly outplayed.

In that game, Troy Terry tied it late with a floating shot from his off-wing. The Highlands Ranch, Colo. native has always shown out against his hometown team, he has 11 points in 20 career games against the Avalanche.

“I felt like our record was probably better than it should have been at the start of the year (when we played them),” Terry said. “We didn't really have our identity yet and and I think since then, our D-zone’s gotten a lot tighter, I think we're all playing a lot more structured in our own end. and we're breaking pucks out better. I think when you do that, you're just limiting time in your own zone. When you play Colorado and you let them have extended time in your end, you’ve got MacKinnon and Makar buzzing around. Just trying to make sure we're breaking pucks out better and trying to limit our time in our own end.”

“We didn't play well and (the Avalanche) were desperate,” head coach Greg Cronin said. “They were winless at the time and I had known analytically (that) they would they were winning games, (but) they weren't winning them (on the scoreboard). There’s a lot of pride that’s won cups in that room, a lot of guys have. So I kind of knew going into it (that) we were going to go into a hornet's nest and they played up to that image. We got caught on our heels and they took it to us. We’ve just got to come out and try and dictate the pace of the game and keep the puck. That’s a team you do not want to turn the puck over to. You can't turn the puck over against these guys. On every shift, they have like four forward-thinking offensive threats.”

Related: Avalanche vs Ducks Pre-Game Stat Pack

Former Duck Josh Manson will not play tonight due to a wrist injury. Oliver Kylington is also missing from the Avalanche blue line. He is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Forwards Miles Wood and Jonathan Drouin are also both out with long-term injuries.

The Ducks' only injury is Trevor Zegras, who is recovering from meniscus surgery and expected to be out for six weeks.

With Mackenzie Blackwood getting the start last night against the Sharks, the expectation is that Scott Wedgewood will start the second game of the Avalanche's back-to-back tonight.

Ducks Projected Lines

Frank Vatrano - Ryan Strome - Troy Terry
Brock McGinn - Leo Carlsson - Alex Killorn
Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Robby Fabbri
Ross Johnston - Isac Lundeström - Jansen Harkins

Jackson LaCombe - Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov - Brian Dumoulin
Olen Zellweger - Jacob Trouba

John Gibson (confirmed)

Avalanche Projected Lines

Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton - Casey Mittelstadt - Mikko Rantanen
Joel Kiviranta - Parker Kelly - Logan O'Connor
Givani Smith - Ivan Ivan - Chris Wagner

Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Samuel Girard - Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton - Calvin de Haan

Scott Wedgewood (confirmed)