Avalanche vs. Blackhawks, Game 69: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

The last time the Colorado Avalanche took on the Chicago Blackhawks, they were floundering, having lost six of seven games.

My, how things have changed.

Since losing to the Blackhawks on Jan 12, the Avalanche have gone 20-5-3. No team in the league has a better record over that same timeframe. Now within striking distance of first place in the Central Division, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar wants to see his team continue playing the type of hockey that gives them success.

What does that mean to him?

“A lot of determination,” Bednar said. “A lot of commitment to defend, and getting on our toes a little bit more offensively, and getting a little bit more dangerous throughout our lineup.”

The Avalanche will, unfortunately, be forced to play without a very important player. Cale Makar, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, will miss the game due to a lower-body injury. He felt fine after the game on Saturday, but started to feel soreness on Sunday after “tweaking” something in the game. With the team rolling, Bednar doesn’t want to take any chances on it lingering, and Makar will sit out for at least one game. Kurtis MacDermid will take his place in the lineup.

Alexandar Georgiev is expected to start in net.

The Blackhawks are just waiting for the season to end. They’re one of the teams looking get the best possible odds of drafting Connor Bedard over the summer. Having already traded Patrick Kane, and with Jonathan Toews out of the lineup, there isn’t a ton of firepower left. They currently have the third worst record in the NHL. Their top scorer is Taylor Raddysh (yes, you read that correctly) with 33 points.

This is the final meeting between the two teams this season.

Expected Colorado Avalanche Lines

Evan Rodrigues – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen

Valeri Nichushkin – J.T. Compher – Denis Malgin

Andrew Cogliano – Lars Eller – Logan O’Connor

Matt Nieto – Alex Newhook – Alex Galchenyuk

Defense

Devon Toews – Samuel Girard

Jack Johnson – Bowen Byram

Kurtis MacDermid – Brad Hunt

Goalies

Alexandar Georgiev

Jonas Johansson

Expected Chicago Blackhawks Lines, per DailyFaceoff.com

Lukas Reichel – Philipp Kurashev – Andreas Athanasiou

Tyler Johnson – Jason Dickinson – Taylor Raddysh

Mike Hardman – MacKenzie Entwistle – Buddy Robinson

Boris Katchouk – Jujhar Khaira – Joey Anderson

Defense:

Caleb Jones – Seth Jones

Jarred Tinordi – Connor Murphy

Nikita Zaitsev – Ian Mitchell

Goalies:

Alex Stalock

Special Teams

Colorado Avalanche Power Play: 24.4%, 5th in NHL

Colorado Avalanche Penalty Kill: 79.1%, 18th in NHL

Chicago Blackhawks Power Play: 16.7%, 28th in NHL

Chicago Blackhawks Penalty Kill: 77%, 20th in NHL

How to Watch

TV: ESPN+, Altitude TV

Radio: Altitude Sports Radio 92.5

Game Time: 7:00 PM MST