The Colorado Avalanche square off against the Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon at Ball Arena. The game is crucial for two significant reasons.
First, Sunday’s tilt marks the first time the Avalanche will face their Ex Mikko Rantanen since he was traded. Following the last time Rantanen donned an Avalanche jersey, he’s played for two clubs, eventually landing with the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline.
The matchup will certainly be interesting to see as one-time friends and linemates Nathan MacKinnon and Rantanen will now become foes. I’m positive Rantanen and MacKinnon are still on good terms, but on the ice, business is business.
Mentally, Sunday’s game should be filled with tension in the early going. It’s tough to face an old friend, especially when there is so much on the line. Both clubs are jockeying for position in the Central Division at this point, battling for the second seed and home-ice advantage in the first round.
The Avs enter the game three points behind the Stars for second place in the Central. A regulation win will put the Avs one point off second. While climbing into second place doesn’t change the playoff seedings, it does, at least emotionally, give Colorado a boost heading into what could be one of the most epic first-round matchups we’ve seen in a long time.
The subplot underlying a Dallas-Colorado first-round meeting could be one for the ages. It will make for good ratings and could be the most-watched series of all this season.
Looking at Colorado Avalanche lineup against Stars
The Colorado Avalanche are likely to ice a very similar lineup to the one that took care of the Calgary Flames on Friday night.
However, there are a couple of changes heading into Sunday’s game. First, Evan Rawal confirmed that Erik Johnson will draw into the lineup in place of Sam Malinski. Johnson will by no means move Malinski out of the lineup.
Inserting Johnson is a psychological move intended to remind Dallas of who’s who. Johnson is an old foe of the Stars and will likely have a little extra incentive to play tough against them.
Second, Miles Wood and Jimmy Vesey are healthy scratches on Sunday. Wood and Vesey should get into the lineup at some point down the stretch. Don’t be surprised if coach Jared Bednar has a bit of a rotation going in the bottom six just to keep depth guys fresh heading into the postseason.
My assumption is that Bednar will be looking to minimize wear and tear on everything during the last handful of games in order to keep everyone as fresh as possible.
Lastly, Bednar confirmed that starting netminder MacKenzie Blackwood is battling an illness. So, former Star Scott Wedgewood will get the nod in the crease. It’s an interesting turn of events for Wedgewood, so he’ll likely want to play hard against his former team as well.
