Colorado Avalanche Icing a Relatively Healthy Roster Against Devils

The Colorado Avalanche will ice a relatively healthy roster when they host the New Jersey Devils tonight. Find out some keys to the game.

The Colorado Avalanche are icing a healthy forward roster against the New Jersey Devils tonight. Except for Colin Wilson, who’s out indefinitely after having surgery, all the Avs forwards are available for the lineup.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche d-corps isn’t doing quite as well. Erik Johnson is still listed as “week-to-week,” though he’s expected to resume skating soon. Thank heavens, Cale Makar is already skating:

It’s in no-contact red, but he’s skating, Also, he skates amazingly.

At the time of writing, the Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues keep leap-frogging each other for first in the Central Division. The Blues currently hold it with one extra point, but Colorado has two games in hand.

Tonight would be a good night to leapfrog over the Blues with a win against the New Jersey Devils. Their next game is against the self-same Blues in  St. Louis, and things never go so well there. It would be nice to enter the building with that little  extra swagger.

Let’s look at some keys to the game.

Reduce the Turnovers

It’s the time of year when bakers everywhere start making holiday turnovers. My mom used to make some with minced meat, which I didn’t like, but the plain mince ones were fine.

I’m seriously not a fan of any of the turnovers the Colorado Avalanche make on the ice. They make those minced meat turnovers look downright delectable. At the very least they need to eliminate them in the defensive zone.

Please Score, Tyson

Even if Tyson Jost is a third-line or fourth-line center, he’s still an NHLer. As I mentioned in a previous post, we’re going to support him with the same alacrity we did Valeri Nichushkin. He’s OUR 10th-overall pick, after all.

But I’d really like to see him score or at least earn an assist,

No, Taylor Hall isn’t Remaining in Denver

Speaking of, no we’re not trading Tyson Jost for Taylor Hall. Or anyone else, for that matter. We don’t have the roster spot available right now — the top-six forwards have earned their spots there.

And we wouldn’t have the cap space to sign him long-term anyway. So, why bother when the Colorado Avalanche are already showing success all on their own?

How to Enjoy the Game

Game time: Dec. 13, 7:00 pm MT
TV: ALT, ESPN+, MSG+ (Devils’ feed)
Radio: Altitude Radio (AM 950/FM 92.5)

This marks the first time the two teams will meet this season. They’ll meet for a second and final time on January 4 in New Jersey.