By Chloe
(@ChloeColorado)
If
all good things come to an end, tonight is the night that momentum from one
Blackhawks-killer will come to a screeching halt.
The
Avalanche and Oilers will meet for the fourth time this season tonight at the
Pepsi Center, in a game that is proving to be extremely important for both
clubs.
The
Oilers, reaching the end of their insane nine-game road trip, look to jump the
Avs and claim the third spot in the Northwest Division with a win on enemy ice.
But if the Avalanche—who have a terrific 8-2-1 home record so far—can manage to
string together three straight wins for the first time this season, it will put
Edmonton three points behind in the Western Conference standings, essentially
turning the dynamic young teams’ postseason chances into a playoff pipe-dream.
The Avs have a game in-hand on the Oilers, so losing these two points would be
a devastating blow.
Both
teams are relatively healthy, with Ryan Jones expected to return to the lineup
for Edmonton after being a healthy scratch in their game against Chicago. If
that happens, changes will have to be made to accommodate Jones, presumably so
that he can join Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle on their high-scoring line. Goal
tender Devan Dubnyk left the Chicago game midway through the second period and
his status for today’s game seems to still be up in the air.
The
Avalanche saw the return of Ryan Wilson in their theatrical buzzer-beating win
over the Sharks on Sunday, and Coach Joe Sacco indicated that no lineup changes
are expected for this game, leaving Olver and Barrie as healthy scratches once
again. Varlamov will be in net tonight, in a move that I don’t personally agree
with—as I fear that this intense schedule is bound to catch up to him at some
point… I just hope that night isn’t tonight.
My
game prediction for tonight is an Avalanche victory. I just don’t see Edmonton
pulling enough energy together to beat an Avs team that is frankly on more of a
roll than their record indicates. Both teams are desperate for points, but the
Avalanche are playing consistent hockey and the Oilers will be gassed from
their dismal road trip that has so far left them 1-5-1.
The
game begins at 7p.m.
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