The Avalanche could have their hands full Wednesday trying to slow down the Edmonton Oilers at Pepsi Center.
Here are the GAME NOTES.
Like the Avalanche (9-9-0), the Oilers (11-8-1) are riding a two-game winning streak behind goalie Cam Talbot and teen sensation Connor McDavid, who leads the NHL in scoring with 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists). Talbot had 31 saves Monday in the Oilers' 5-0 win against Chicago for his third shutout and 10th win.
"They have a lot of talent over there, and they're playing well," Matt Duchene said after the morning skate.
The Oilers have scored 59 goals to the Avalanche's 39 while playing two more games. The power plays are pretty much the same; Edmonton is 10-for-57 (17.5 percent), Colorado 10-for-58 (17.2).
While the Oilers have a 22-18 edge in first-period goals, the Avalanche have been outscored 19-7 in the opening period. Edmonton has scored the first goal eight times, Colorado five.
"We have to do a better job of starting on time and taking control right away," Duchene said. "We seem to find our way after being down a goal. We have to find it earlier."
The Avalanche are opening a five-game homestand looking to climb above .500 for the first time since Oct. 29 (4-3-0). They've won two in a row for the first time since the first two games of the season.
"We have to take a step here," said Duchene, who will be at right wing with left wing A.J. Greer and center Carl Soderberg. "We've been doing some good things, it's time to make a jump."
Mikhail Grigorenko will be a healthy scratch for the first time, with Joe Colborne returning after sitting out one game to center the fourth line with left wing Cody McLeod and right wing Andreas Martinsen. Eric Gelinas also will be scratched.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog (lower-body injury) skated in the morning, and the plan is for him to skate again Thursday (the team has the day off for U.S. Thanksgiving) to determine if he can practice with the team Friday and possibly play Saturday against Vancouver.
Semyon Varlamov gets the start.
I spoke with McDavid after the Oilers' morning skate. He had a hat trick in a 5-2 win against Dallas on Saturday and two assists Monday against Chicago. The win against the Stars snapped a five-game losing streak.
"It's still very early in the year and it changes almost nightly, so it doesn't really matter now," he said of having the league's scoring lead. "We're definitely playing well right now. We got out of that little funk we were in, we had a little bit of a slide there. We were able to find a way out of that.
"We won two big games and (defeated) the Blackhawks, one of the NHL's best, so we feel good about that and we want to keep it going. We're not having those mental lapses we were having, not making too many bonehead plays."
The Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS Rene Bourque -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen A.J. Greer -- Carl Soderberg -- Matt Duchene Blake Comeau -- John Mitchell -- Jarome Iginla Cody McLeod -- Joe Colborne -- Andreas Martinsen
DEFENSE Fedor Tyutin -- Erik Johnson Nikita Zadorov -- Tyson Barrie Francois Beauchemin -- Patrick Wiercioch
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Calvin Pickard