As expected, Gabriel Landeskog will play Friday when the Avalanche face Arizona at the Pepsi Center in a game with major playoff implications.
The Colorado captain will skate at left wing on a line with center Carl Soderberg and right wing Colin Wilson.
“Every game matters as much as it does right now,… Landeskog said after the morning skate. “It’s been tough watching, but at the same time the boys have been doing great.…
The Avalanche went 6-2-1 without Landeskog, 5-0-1 in the past six games, after he sustained a shoulder injury in a collision with Dallas goalie Ben Bishop on March 7. He was originally expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
“It’s great,… Nathan MacKinnon said. “He recovered so quickly. I think we expected that, but we weren’t counting on that because you never know with an injury. It’s great to have him. He’s our leader; just his presence in the room is going to be great for us tonight.…
The Avalanche have a two-point lead over the Coyotes for the second wild card playoff position in the Western Conference; both teams have five games remaining.
The teams split the first two games of the season series, both in Arizona. The first game, a 5-1 Avalanche win, wouldn’t be included if head-to-head results are needed as part of the NHL tiebreaking procedure because the teams only meet three times.
If they tie in regulation/overtime wins -- Colorado has a 34-33 lead – the greater number of points earned in games between the teams would serve as the tiebreaker. The Coyotes won the second game 6-4, so the Avalanche can eliminate that possibility with a regulation win Friday.
"I'm excited for this game,… coach Jared Bednar said. “I think it is a great opportunity for our team, and that is what I want our guys to feel. This is a game where we can go play in front of our home fans and it's high-stakes hockey, and that's the type of games you want to play.
"That's the kind of games you want to coach in. It's playoff hockey, and there are still five games to go."
Philipp Grubauer will make his seventh start in a row. He’s 5-0-1 in his past six starts with one shutout, a 1.49 goals-against average and .960 save percentage.
The Coyotes also have a hot goalie in Darcy Kuemper, who will start for the 19th game in a row. He’s 12-5-2 in his past 19 appearances with three shutouts, a 1.78 goals-against average and .941 save percentage.
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The Avalanche signed Boston University forward Shane Bowers to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday. Bowers, 19, will report to the Colorado Eagles on an amateur tryout contract.
Bowers had 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 37 games his sophomore season. He had 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists) in 40 games as a freshman when he was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.
A 6-foot-2, 188-pound center, Bowers was acquired from Ottawa on Nov. 5, 2017 as part of the trade that sent Matt Duchene to the Senators. He was Ottawa’s first-round pick (No. 28) in the 2017 NHL draft.
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The projected lineup:
Alexander Kerfoot -- Nathan MacKinnon -- J.T. Compher Gabriel Landeskog -- Carl Soderberg – Colin Wilson Derick Brassard -- Tyson Jost -- Matt Calvert Matt Nieto – Sven Andrighetto -- Gabriel Bourque
Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson Ian Cole -- Tyson Barrie Nikita Zadorov -- Patrik Nemeth
Philipp Grubauer Semyon Varlamov