Maybe changing lines (again) will help get Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon out of their offensive funks.
Duchene, who has gone eight games without a goal, will skate with left wing Gabriel Landeskog and right wing Daniel Briere tonight against Edmonton at the Pepsi Center. MacKinnon, who has one goal in the past 19 games, will be on a line with left wing Max Talbot and center John Mitchell.
Here are the game notes.
"We just think changing the mix will help both of them," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said this morning. "We'll try it and see how it goes."
Duchene went through a similar slump last season and ended with 23 goals in 71 games. The difference then was the Avalanche were playing so well that it didn't hurt so much if one or two players were going through rough times.
"For most of the year I've been very happy with my game," he said. "The last 10 games I probably played two games that I was happy with. I went through this last year. Every season you have peaks and valleys, and it's what you learn in those valleys that's important. Every time the lines get switched everyone hopes the combinations are what's going to work the best for us."
A number of players are having trouble scoring goals and Duchene has been down because of the team's losing ways. They'll take a 14-15-8 record into tonight's game against the Oilers (8-22-8), whose only win in their past 11 games (1-7-3) was a 3-2 shootout decision against Los Angeles on Tuesday.
"As a team it's been the exact same," Duchene said. "We have so many offensive guys, so many amazing hockey players, and no one's really put up the production that they're capable of doing. At times it's been deserved in terms of our play. But there's been games where we've played outstanding and we haven't scored and we've had tons of chances. We've taken the rights shots, made the right passes, and you should get results that way.
"But (hitting) goal posts, double goal posts, open nets missed by whoever, things like that, it's tough luck. But there's always a reason for it. I think it's a chance to grow. Lately that takes a toll on you, that tough luck. You hit a wall and I've hit a bit of a wall in the past 10 games. I haven't played my best, but I think I'm on the upswing now. It's been tough, but those valleys in your career help you to improve more than just having success."
There have been times when the Avalanche play as if they're ready to break out. But six days after beating St. Louis 5-0 at home before Christmas, they managed 16 shots on goal and were shut out 3-0 by the Blues on the road. They followed that with a 4-3 overtime win on New Year's Eve against Philadelphia.
"You think it's coming and in the next game you get shut out," Duchene said. "Every day we're searching for that recipe, that confidence, for that feeling to get going again. As a group I know we're getting closer to it, we've stayed in the race and we're one streak away from doing something here. We just have to keep pushing.
"This year's already felt like it was two years long with all the ups and downs. We ended 2014 well with a nice win, now it's the first game of a new year and maybe we can look at it as a clean slate and push forward from here."
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The Oilers (8-22-8) traded left wing David Perron to Pittsburgh in exchange for center Rob Klinkhammer and a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
"It's always hard leaving a place where you're emotionally involved, no matter how tough the situation was here," Perron said before leaving the Pepsi Center for the airport. "Once you look past that, there are not many better opportunities to go to and I'm really excited about that."
Perron, who has five goals and 14 assists in 38 games, is going from an Oilers team with 24 points to the Penguins, who have 51 points. He said the losing wears on players.
"It does," he said. "Once they start piling on, it's hard to get out of it. Even if the Oilers are struggling right now they'll find a way out eventually and they'll be a top team in the league. I won't be part of it, but hopefully I'll be part of something special in Pittsburgh."
Forward Benoit Pouliot will return to the Oilers lineup after missing 18 games with a broken foot. Ben Scrivens will start in goal.
Here's the Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS Gabriel Landeskog - Matt Duchene - Daniel Briere Alex Tanguay - Ryan O'Reilly - Jarome Iginla Max Talbot - John Mitchell - Nathan MacKinnon Cody McLeod - Marc-Andre Cliche - Borna Rendulic
DEFENSE Jan Hejda - Erik Johnson Nate Guenin - Tyson Barrie Brad Stuart - Nick Holden
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Reto Berra