Deen's Notebook
Avalanche vs. Stars, Game 60: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

Will the Colorado Avalanche ever get to play a game with their top five defensemen all dressed at the same time again? The universe doesn’t seem to want it to happen.
On Saturday, the Avalanche will get a big boost in the form of Cale Makar. The superstar defenseman declared that he’s ready to go after practice Friday, and he will be in the lineup against the Stars.
But the bad news is that Josh Manson will be out. Head coach Jared Bednar wouldn’t go as far as to say he would be week-to-week, but he will miss “some time” after he re-injured himself on Wednesday.
The other concern is the health of Valeri Nichushkin. He missed practice Friday due to illness, and Bednar was not sure if he would travel with the team or not. If he doesn’t play, expect Newhook or Malgin to move up in the lineup and Ben Meyers to step in on the fourth line.
Alexandar Georgiev should get the start in net.
The Avalanche will take on the Dallas Stars, who lead the Central Division. I asked Jack Johnson after practice on Friday what makes them difficult to play against.
“I think they have good size and speed,” Johnson said. “They forecheck really well. It’s something I noticed playing them this year. They’re a handful on the forecheck.”
The Stars sit six points ahead of the Avalanche in the standings, but have played three more games, making this matchup even more important. All-Star Jason Robertson leads the Stars with 35 goals and 76 points.
This is the third of four matchups between the two teams this season. Colorado won both games in regulation in November. They will play one more time in April at Ball Arena.
Expected Colorado Avalanche Lines
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Valeri Nichushkin
Evan Rodrigues – J.T. Compher – Mikko Rantanen
Andrew Cogliano – Lars Eller – Logan O’Connor
Matt Nieto – Alex Newhook – Denis Malgin
Defense
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Samuel Girard – Bowen Byram
Jack Johnson – Brad Hunt
Goalies
Alexandar Georgiev
Keith Kincaid
Expected Dallas Stars Lines, per DailyFaceoff.com
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Joe Pavelski
Jamie Benn – Wyatt Johnston – Evgenii Dadonov
Mason Marchment – Max Domi – Tyler Seguin
Fredrik Olofsson – Radek Faksa – Ty Dellandrea
Defense
Miro Heiskanen – Joel Hanley
Esa Lindell – Jani Hakanpaa
Ryan Suter – Nils Lundkvist
Goaltenders
Jake Oettinger
Special Teams
Colorado Avalanche Power Play: 22.9%, 9th in NHL
Colorado Avalanche Penalty Kill: 77.5%, 19th in NHL
Dallas Stars Power Play: 23.3%, 8th in NHL
Dallas Stars Penalty Kill: 83.2%, 3rd in NHL
How to Watch
TV: ESPN+, ABC
Radio: 92.5 Altitude Sports Radio
Game Time: 1:30 PM MST