The Colorado Avalanche look to move into sole possession of third place in the Central Division with a win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday afternoon.
The Colorado Avalanche face off against the Minnesota Wild in one of the biggest games to date. The Avs are currently fourth in the Central Division with 57 points. Meanwhile, the Wild are third with 58 points.
While the Avs are comfortably in the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference, the club is looking to move into third place in Central, thereby solidifying their playoff position.
A win would do that. The two points in regulation would help the Avs leapfrog a struggling Wild team that’s lost three in a row heading into Monday afternoon’s action. The Wild are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, with the Avs slightly better at 6-3-1.
At the moment, the Avs are coming off a big win over the Dallas Stars, another team the Avs are chasing in the standings. The Stars have turned their game around, and are now creeping up on the Winnipeg Jets.
As for Colorado, there has been some significant separation between them and the St. Louis Blues, who trail the Avs by nine points. That gives the top four teams in the Central some breathing room as they jockey for position.
But the fact is that the Avs need to get their overall game rolling as there is a little less than half the season left. Points are now becoming more precious than ever. So, it makes sense for the Avs to turn up the heat as the club looks to punch its postseason ticket.
It’s worth pointing out that if the Avs can remain in third place the rest of the way, and nothing else chances, the Stars and Avs will be destined for another playoff meeting. If that’s the case, the Avs will be in tough. But then again, it wouldn’t be the first time Colorado faces a tough, first-round opponent.
Looking at Colorado Avalanche lineup against Minnesota Wild
The Colorado Avalanche look to roll out one of the most talented lineups in the league.
The top line should feature Ross Colton and Mikko Rantanen with Nathan MacKinnon at center. That line looks good with MacKinnon maintaining a healthy four-point lead on the Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisaitl for the NHL scoring lead.
Meanwhile, the second line features Casey Mittelstadt with Artturi Lehkonen and Jonathan Drouin. Both Lehkonen and Drouin have been good this season, giving the Avalanche two more top-six wingers to deploy.
Where things get interesting is the bottom six. The third line features Joel Kiviranta, who’s in the midst of a strong season, with Parker Kelly and the versatile Logan O’Connor. O’Conner had a bit of a slow start but has come on strong lately.
The fourth line continues to be a work in progress. Juuso Parssinen continues to center the line with fellow Finn Jere Innala and Ivan Ivan on the wings. The line looked serviceable against Dallas in their last outing.
In my estimation, however, the Avalanche need more stability in that fourth line. An infusion of solid veteran talent could be an option the Avs could look at heading into the trade deadline. A name I’ve suggested Colorado look into is Derek Ryan of the Edmonton Oilers, who recently hit the waiver wire.
Moving forward, some good players could hit the wire as teams look to make room for potential deadline moves. So, the Avs could find some solid players on the cheap. Keep your eyes on the wire waiver heading into the March 7 trade deadline.
Lastly, MacKenzie Blackwood should be back in the crease after Scott Wedgewood got the start in the Avs’ last game against the Stars. Blackwood has been a revelation since coming over from San Jose, He can hopefully continue showing he was the right choice for the Avalanche this season.
