Expected Avalanche lines and D pairs for Ducks today

Game ON!!!!!

No more sleeps ’til Avalanche hockey. It’s back, baby, and it starts in just a couple of hours to boot! Am I dreaming???

The game is, indeed, on for 1 p.m. at Ball Arena. It is the Avs’ first game since Dec. 16.

Here are the expected lines and D combos for the Avs:

Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen

Compher-Kadri-Burakovsky

O’Connor-Newhook-Kubel

MacDermid-Jost-Helm

D

Toews-Makar

Byram-Girard

J. Johnson-E. Johnson

Kuemper

NOTEBOOK: Anaheim’s Cam Fowler, an important player on the Ducks’ defense, is questionable to play because of injury. … The Ducks have six more points than the Avs in the Western standings. But the Avs have seven games in hand. …The second period has been the Avs’ best on the season so far. Colorado is outscoring opponents 40-24 in the middle period. … At 75.7 percent, the Avs’ penalty kill ranks 27th in the league. … This will be Jared Bednar’s 400th game as Avs coach. … Erik Johnson today will tie Steven Finn for most games played in franchise history for a defenseman, at 605. … Nathan MacKinnon has a nine-game point streak (two goals, 12 assists). … Colorado has won eight straight at home and 9-0-1 in the last 10. … Avs are the highest-scoring team in the league, at 4.22 goals per game. … The Avalanche’s .667 points percentage (17-8-2) at the holiday break was their third-highest since relocating to Denver.

2000-01 23-7-5-0 .729
2013-14 23-10-3 .681
2021-22 17-8-2 .667
2019-20 23-11-3 .662
1997-98 19-8-11 .645