Match-up - Colorado Avalanche (5-8-5) @ New Jersey Devils (8-7-2) Road/Home records - 2-5-3 -------------- 3-2-2 TV - ALT, MSG+ Puck drop - 7:00 p.m. ET Season series - 0-0 Last 10 - Colorado: 3-4-3 ------- New Jersey: 5-5-0 Projected starting goalies - Semyon Varlamov vs Cory Schneider
Projected lines for the Avalanche via DailyFaceoff.com:
Alex Tanguay - Matt Duchene - Ryan O'Reilly Gabriel Landeskog - John Mitchell - Jarome Iginla Jamie McGinn - Nathan MacKinnon - Danny Briere Cody McLeod - Marc-Andre Cliche - Max Talbot
Jan Hejda - Erik Johnson Nate Guenin - Tyson Barrie Nick Holden - Zach Redmond
Injured: Jesse Winchester, Brad Stuart, Patrick Bordeleau
Projected lines for the Devils:
Mike Cammalleri - Travis Zajac - Jaromir Jagr Martin Havlat - Patrik Elias - Michael Ryder Tuomo Ruutu - Jacob Josefson - Damien Brunner/Jordin Tootoo Tuomo Ruutu - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier
Andy Greene - Damon Severson Eric Gelinas - Marek Zidlicky Seth Helgeson - Adam Larsson
Injured: Adam Henrique, Ryane Clowe, Jon Merrill, Bryce Salvador.
Game notes:
- The Avalanche are really struggling to score goals right now and, though their defense is suspect and I had them projected to finish outside of the playoffs, that won't last with all the talent they have up front. The Parenteau for Briere trade and loss of Statsny but addition of Iginla were both backwards steps, in my opinion, but they still have plenty of star power. Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and co. are all averaging way, way under a point per game while Landeskog is averaging about .33 per game, which won't last over time. The Devils need to make sure they can prevent the breakout for at least one more game.
- I'm looking forward to seeing how the Devils' defense handles Colorado's forwards. Both cores are young, talented and are very mobile so it'll be interesting to see who comes out on top of that battle.
- At this point Cory Schneider could probably use a day off, but he's posted a .981SV% and has allowed just one goal over his last two starts so it's probably a safe bet he'll be between the pipes tonight. The Devils are moving up the standings a little bit of late and another solid performance from Schneider will give them another chance to do so tonight.
- Adam Larsson has played really, really well of late and logged over 20 minutes of ice against Washington. He's been a mainstay on the penalty kill since Bryce Salvador went out of the lineup and the Devils are 8-for-8 on the PK in that span so he deserves a lot of credit for that.
- Mike Cammalleri scored the game-winning-goal vs the Caps and now has 11 points in 11 games. He's been excellent with Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr this season, and has played a big part in making the Devils' top line a legitimate threat offensively. The Devils need him to keep producing because, with Adam Henrique and Ryane Clowe out of the lineup, their offensive depth isn't what it could be.
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