Updates on the Avalanche injury front before Wednesday's game against Anaheim at the Pepsi Center:
Coach Patrick Roy said that right wing Blake Comeau will play after missing practice Tuesday because of a back issue, and defenseman Zach Redmond is expected to play after sitting out the same practice with a lower-body injury.
Redmond took part in the morning skate and will take the pregame warmup before a decision on his status is made. "The plan for now is to try and play," he said.
Defenseman Chris Bigras (concussion) will sit out his second game in a row.
Here are the GAME NOTES.
The Ducks are the hottest team in the NHL, having gone 25-4-3 in their past 32 games to move from a non-playoff spot to first place in the Pacific Division with 83 points, one more than Los Angeles.
They had a franchise record 11-game winning streak snapped Monday with a 2-1 shootout loss to Washington, but they've gained a point in 14 consecutive games (12-0-2) since a 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Feb. 8, and are 18-1-2 in the past 21 games.
"It's been impressive what they've been doing," Roy said. "Ask anybody, this is the team that everybody expected all year. Sometimes you have to go through adversity to become an even better team. Their GM (Bob Murray) has made some good moves to bring in some quality players, and the core is playing really well for them. I guess the core was struggling at the start of the year and right now they're playing some good hockey for them."
The Avalanche defeated the Ducks 3-0 on Oct. 16 in Anaheim with Reto Berra in goal, their fourth consecutive loss to begin the season.
"I think everybody was surprised by the way they started," said Avalanche defenseman Francois Beauchemin, who left the Ducks as a free agent last summer and signed a three-year, $13.5 million contract. "They had to come back at some point and since the Christmas break they've been the hottest team in the league. They have depth from top to bottom in their lineup, so this will be a good challenge for us."
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Former Avalanche forward Jamie McGinn gained 20 points in the standings when the Ducks acquired him from Buffalo on Feb. 29 for a conditional third-round draft pick.
"I really enjoyed my time in Buffalo, but at the end of the day I want to win a Stanley Cup and I have a good opportunity of doing that here," said McGinn, who was traded to the Sabres last summer as part of the Ryan O'Reilly deal.
"I'm just thrilled about it, it's pure excitement. To play meaningful hockey, it's a different animal. Once you get to playoffs, it's what you dream about growing up as a kid and I'm looking forward to the challenge here."
McGinn last played in the playoffs in 2014 with the Avalanche. He has two goals and an assist in four games with the Ducks, 16 goals and 14 assists overall.
Here's the Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS Mikhail Grigorenko - Matt Duchene - Jarome Iginla Mikkel Boedker - Nathan MacKinnon - Blake Comeau Shawn Matthias - Carl Soderberg - Gabriel Landeskog Cody McLeod - John Mitchell - Jack Skille
DEFENSE Francois Beauchemin - Erik Johnson Nick Holden - Tyson Barrie Eric Gelinas - Zach Redmond or Andrew Bodnarchuk
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Calvin Pickard