Avalanche vs. Maple Leafs, Game 35: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

The calendar year of 2022 was a special one for the Colorado Avalanche.

On Saturday, they’ll try to end it on a high note.

Fresh off back to back losses coming out of the Holiday break, and having given up 10 regulation goals in the last two games, the Avalanche will look for a bounce back against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who hold the third best record in the NHL.

It’s entirely possible the Avalanche will get an especially late Christmas gift on Saturday evening.

This morning, the team demoted Charles Hudon back to the Colorado Eagles. Nathan MacKinnon has been skating with the team the last few practices, ready to return, and as soon as he let the staff know he was healthy enough to play, he’d be re-inserted into the lineup.

The Hudon demotion would seem to indicate he’s ready. The team is not holding a morning skate due to the earlier start time (5 PM MST), so official word will come closer to game time.

The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, are one of the tougher matchups in the NHL. They boast 50 points, third in the league, and are third in the league in goals against.

They’re coming off a 6-3 loss in Arizona against the Coyotes.

This will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season, with the second and final matchup coming in March.

UPDATE: Nathan MacKinnon was activated off injured reserve, indicating a return tonight is likely

Expected Colorado Avalanche Lines

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen

Alexander Newhook – J.T. Compher – Evan Rodrigues

Andrew Cogliano – Ben Meyers – Logan O’Connor

Kurtis MacDermid – Denis Malgin – Jacob MacDonald

Defense

Devon Toews – Cale Makar

Samuel Girard – Erik Johnson

Andreas Englund – Brad Hunt

Goalies

Alexandar Georgiev

Jonas Johansson

Expected Toronto Maple Leafs lines, per PuckPedia.com

Michael Bunting – Auston Matthews – William Nylander

Calle Jarnkrok – John Tavares – Mitch Marner

Alexander Kerfoot – David Kampf – Pierre Engvall

Zach Aston-Reese – Pontus Holmberg – Dryden Hunt

Defense:

Mark Giordano – Justin Holl

Morgan Rielly – Timothy Liljegren

T.Tj. Brodie – Conor Timmins

Goalies:

Matt Murray

Ilya Samsonov

Special Teams

Colorado Avalanche Power Play: 27%, 6th in NHL

Colorado Avalanche Penalty Kill: 75.5%, 20th in NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs Power Play: 24.8%, 10th in NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs Penalty Kill: 78.4%, 15th in NHL

How to Watch

TV: Altitude TV, ESPN+, Sportsnet

Radio: 92.5 FM Altitude Sports Radio

Game Time: 5 PM MST