Game Preview: Colorado Fights to Get Back In the Win Column

Denver, Co. - The Colorado Avalanche will regroup as they return to Ball Arena for their second game in this weekend's back-to-back. Their opponent, the Edmonton Oilers, are also playing the back end of their back-to-back tonight.

Colorado dropped their game against Dallas on Black Friday 5-3. Valeri Nichushkin, Arturri Lehkonen, and Mikko Rantanen all scored but it wasn't enough for the Avalanche to find the win.

The Edmonton Oilers scraped by with a win against the Utah Hockey Club on Friday. Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid all scored in regulation for the Oilers, taking the game into overtime. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins claimed the game-winner.

NHL Points Leaders, Anyone?

The Avalanche have three players who hold impressive places among NHL points leaders, and they're probably exactly who you think they are. Let's talk about the assistant captains!

Nathan MacKinnon is currently in a three-way tie for 2nd in points with 36, along with Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights. He currently leads the NHL in assists with 29. How fitting.

Speaking of assists leaders, Cale Makar currently sits at 5th in the NHL with 24. He is the only defenseman in the top five for assists. The next defensemen on this list are Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets), and Adam Fox (New York Rangers), who are all part of a five-way tie for 8th (20).

Mikko Rantanen currently leads the team in goals with 15, putting him at 4th among the league. The only other players ahead of him are Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers) with 18, Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) with 17, and Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning) with 16. If things go extremely well for Rantanen tonight, he has a chance to get ahead of his opponent in Draisaitl tonight. It wouldn't be his first hat trick of the season.

He also sits at 5th in points, just two points shy of MacKinnon.

Pregame Updates

Colorado Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar was not available this morning, which is to be expected on the second game of a back-to-back. But a couple of transactions between the Avalanche and their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles were announced since the end of Friday's game.

Chase Bradley, who made his NHL debut at home against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, was reassigned to the Eagles last night. This morning, the Avalanche announced they have recalled Nikita Prishchepov to Denver. He will likely draw into the lineup tonight on the fourth line along with Chris Wagner, who was recalled due to Miles Wood being placed on Injured Reserve.

A trade was also announced this morning between the Avalanche and the Nashville Predators. Colorado sent goaltender Justus Annunen and a 6th-round draft pick in 2025 to the Predators in exchange for goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

It isn't uncommon for Bednar to play the same goalie in both games of a back-to-back, so Georgiev is an option for tonight. Scott Wedgewood has arrived in Denver, though, so fans could also see him make his debut as an Av. He will be available to the media around 5:15 MT, so more information to come regarding a starter.

Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott, who are both injured, took part in a limited skate for the Oilers this morning with Calvin Pickard. Pickard started for Edmonton in last night's win over Utah. Seeing as he was part of this morning's skate, he likely won't start for the Oilers, but that has not been confirmed. Expect Stuart Skinner to draw in until further news arises.

Where/When To Watch:

Avalanche fans will be pleased to hear that tonight's local Altitude broadcast crew is leading the charge tonight. You can find them on Altitude+ or your local Altitude broadcast channel. Oilers fans can find the game on Sportsnet.

Keep in mind that tonight is a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, so puck drop will be at 8:10 MT.

Be sure to follow me on X for live updates during the game and postgame availability.