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Oilers, Dubnyk have had Avs' number

December 19, 2013, 3:30 PM ET [6 Comments]
Rick Sadowski
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • RSSArchiveCONTACT


It's redemption time for the Avalanche, a team that has a lot more trouble against the Edmonton Oilers than it should. The Oilers have won five of the past six meetings.

Whether the Avalanche can stay out of the penalty box and find a way to solve goalie Devan Dubnyk will be determining factors tonight at the Pepsi Center. The Avalanche didn't do either Dec. 5 in Edmonton when the Oilers rolled to an 8-2 win.

Dubnyk made 33 saves that night to improve his career record against the Avalanche to 8-3-1 with a 1.94 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. His overall NHL record: 59-73-21, 2.87, .910.

Taylor Hall had a hat trick and an assist in that game, the Avalanche took seven penalties, allowed three power-play goals and went 0-for-6 with the man advantage. Colorado will take a 1-for-37 slump on power plays in a 12-game stretch into tonight.

"We usually have pretty good games against them and obviously we want to change our record against them going forward," center Matt Duchene said. "I think we did exactly what we didn't want to do in that game. It was a lot closer than the score. At one point it was 3-2 and they scored four goals in the last eight minutes.

"I think we made it too easy on them. We gave them the puck too much. If we play our style of hockey and play our 'A' game, that will give us the best chance to win."

Except for Monday's 6-2 win against Dallas, the Avalanche has had a difficult time getting much in the way of offense going with two goals or fewer in five of the past eight games. The record in this stretch is 3-4-1. The Avalanche hasn't been dominating at home, going 3-3-1 at the Pepsi Center after an 8-2-0 start there.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov will also get a chance to redeem himself, having allowed all eight goals on 28 shots in the last meeting with the Oilers. He has a 4-8-0 career record against them with a 3.36 goals-against average and .888 save percentage.

Defenseman Nate Guenin, who sat out for the first time this season in Tuesday's 3-2 loss in Dallas, will return to the lineup, replacing Nick Holden.

The Oilers are completing a four-game road trip. They lost the first three games while being outscored 10-2. They've lost four in a row overall and have been outscored 14-2.

Here's the Avalanche lineup for tonight:

FORWARDS
Ryan O'Reilly -- Matt Duchene -- Nathan MacKinnon
Gabriel Landeskog -- Paul Stastny -- PA Parenteau
Jamie McGinn -- John Mitchell -- Maxime Talbot
Cody McLeod -- Marc-Andre Cliche -- Patrick Bordeleau

DEFENSE
Erik Johnson -- Jan Hejda
Andre Benoit -- Cory Sarich
Nate Guenin -- Tyson Barrie

GOALIES
Semyon Varlamov
Jean-Sebastien Giguere

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