Game preview: Colorado Avalanche take on San Jose Sharks
The Colorado Avalanche will be looking for the second win of the year against the winless San Jose Sharks on Sunday night. The Avalanche’s tough start could be behind them as the club looks to build momentum and get back into the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
The Colorado Avalanche are back in action on Sunday evening against the San Jose Sharks. The Avs got a big win in their last outing, beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in OT. With the win, Colorado got the goose egg off the win column and will be looking to continue building momentum.
Meanwhile, the Sharks remain winless this season. While the Sharks have notched two OT losses, they have yet to notch a win on the season.
The Avs could be in for a spirited contest, hopefully skating away with their second win of the season. So, let’s take a look at some key notes leading up to Sunday evening’s tilt.
Pre-game notes on the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks
Colton should continue on the top unit
Ross Colton has been a bit of a revelation on the top unit. He tallied two goals in his last game, playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Colton’s performance has made Jonathan Drouin’s absence more bearable, though the bottom six have lacked the depth Colton provides.
LOC and Kovalenko on the second line
The second line will likely feature Nikolai Kovalenko with Logan O’Connor and Casey Mittelstadt at center. Mittelstadt has had a strong start to the season, while Kovalenko has shown signs of becoming a bona fide top-six forward. As for O’Connor, he’s looked comfortable in a more prominent role. Perhaps this could mean a permanent promotion for him to the top six.
Ritchie on the third line
Top prospect Calum Ritchie has shown signs of solid development in his first batch of games. He started out on the second line but has now been bumped to the third. That move is not an indictment of poor performance, but rather a practical necessity given the Avs’ subpar start this season. Ritchie still has a handful of games left before the Avs must decide to burn the first year of his entry-level deal or send him back to the OHL for one more season.
Georgiev should get the call
Alexandar Georgiev likely gets the nod for the Avs on Sunday night. Georgiev had his best game of the season last time out against the Ducks. So, coach Jared Bednar may want to stick with Georgiev as a means of giving him a chance to continue building momentum.
However, fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Justus Annunen get the start just to give Georgiev a break after starting five games in a row.
manual