NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Colorado Avalanche | 6 April, 7 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

 

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: 

C | Sidney Crosby 

LW | Jake Guentzel 

RW | Bryan Rust 

LD | Brian Dumoulin 

RD | Kris Letang 

G | Tristan Jarry 

 

COLORADO AVALANCHE: 

C | Nathan MacKinnon 

LW | Andre Burakovsky 

RW | Mikko Rantanen 

LD | Devon Toews 

RD | Cale Makar 

G | Darcy Kuemper 

 

Coming in hot from Saturday’s victory, the Colorado Avalanche is happily trotting its way to Pittsburgh this Tuesday, April 6 for a rematch against the Penguins. Will the Central Division’s number one keep their winning streak fresh? Or are the Penguins feeling the pressure after their most recent loss enough to turn the tables? Here are our thoughts. 

These two teams have not matched up in over two years and so their last match was filled with much anticipation, especially since both teams are packed in their offensive departments. With a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, goaltender Darcy Kuemper stopped 38 shots, and Colorado met and tied with the franchise record for most home victories in a season. On the other hand, Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin is getting into his rhythm as he scored the game-winning goal in the team's most recent game: a 4-3 overtime victory in Minnesota. Per his previous three games, Malkin has four goals and two assists with the Penguins winning two of them. They are currently just one point behind second place in the Metropolitan division. 

 

At this point during the season, Pittsburgh is most certainly going through its roughest patch but luckily Colorado will be without several important players. The Avs' leading scorer, Nazem Kadri, is listed out and is likely to be gone for this upcoming game. If Kadri isn't in the lineup, the Avalanche will be without two of their top five scorers. Other players included in the injury report are center player Nathan MacKinnon and defenders Bowen Byram and Samuel Girard. These absences are sure to debilitate Colorado and it's already shown from their previous three games as their offense only scored only eight goals. 

 

The Penguins have a goalie advantage, and the games are more important to Pittsburgh right now than they are to the Avs. The Penguins have the ability to go on the road and surprise the Avalanche. Tristan Jarry has benefited from a few additional days of recuperation this season, and he has performed admirably against strong opponents. The Avs can afford to lose this game, honestly, they can afford to lose a few with their standing, it’s just a matter of whether they’re willing to— and no one likes losing. Alas, we’re betting on the Penguins to win this one as they are providing excellent play in conjunction with the notable absences from the Avs. This is definitely the game to watch out for, for sure. 

 

7 AM (PST), April 6, 2022, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA.