The Colorado Avalanche will head back on the ice on Monday night at the American Airlines Center looking to take a 2-0 series after their fantastic Game 1 victory.
While it’s no surprise to see the Avalanche taking game 1, it certainly was to see them win 5-1. The flat effort from the Dallas Stars was compounded by the Avalanche skating circles around the ice. It was evident that Dallas could not keep up with the Avalanche’s top stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
Moreover, MacKenzie Blackwood settled the discussion regarding his lack of playoff experience from the get-go. After seeing his brilliant performance, there don’t appear to be many lingering doubts surrounding his performance.
So, the mission is simply for Game 2. The Avalanche must go out there and stick to their game plan. It worked in Game 1 and it should work in Game 2.
The caveat here is that the Stars should come out guns blazing. The prospect of falling 2-0, at home, and then having to head on the road to turn things around is daunting. That is why the Stars will throw everything at the Avs, including the kitchen sink, playing as if it were a Game 7.
That means the Avs will need to be prepared for a barrage out of the gate. Ultimately, Game 2 could boil down to wearing the Stars down, waiting for them to run out of steam, before clamping down in the latter portion of the game.
Looking at the Colorado Avalanche lineup for Game 2 against Dallas Stars
The Colorado Avalanche will likely ice the same lineup as Game 1. The team clicked and there were no injuries to report. That is why we shouldn’t expect any changes heading into Game 2.
The top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, and Martin Necas looked great on Saturday night. The second line of Jonathan Drouin, Brock Nelson, and Valeri Nichushkin had a couple of looks, but nothing hit the back of the net.
If the second line does not seem to gel, we could see some in-game shifts such as seeing Nelson and Necas skating on together.
As for the bottom six, don’t expect many changes there. The third and fourth lines played well and should continue to play a key role. In particular, the fourth line will be asked to play tough minutes as they look to give the top six a break in between key shifts.
The blue line likely remains unchanged. Cale Makar and Devon Toews should continue running amok, making life difficult for the Dallas Stars. The bottom four looked good, especially Erik Johnson who seems rejuvenated after escaping the prison that was Philadelphia.
Lastly, expect MacKenzie Blackwood to play until his legs fall off. While Scott Wedgewood is more than capable of stepping in, Wedgewood will see action only if fatigue becomes an issue for Blackwood.
That won’t be the case on Monday night. So, Blackwood will be getting the bulk of the reps as the Avs hope to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their first-round series against the Dallas Stars.