Avalanche Pregame Notes
Avalanche vs Dallas Stars Game 6: One Game at a Time — Can The Avs Live Another Day? Lines, Notes & How To Watch
The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars continue their series in the first possible elimination game at Ball Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:50 pm. MT.
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There’s only one way to assess everything that unfolded in Game 5. Maybe, just maybe, all the bad luck, poor officiating, and well, self-inflicted wounds, are out of the way after that loss. Maybe.
The Avs are looking to bounce back in the biggest of ways. They have no choice. Last year, Colorado lost in double overtime of Game 6 against the Dallas Stars in a series they had no business winning. This time, they have a lot more to fight for. They’ve got a lineup that can win. They’ve got an opportunity to do something special. If they don’t, the series is over.
This team, this core, has not won a series they’ve trailed outside of losing Game 1 and coming back to win four straight vs Winnipeg last year and Calgary in 2019. They’ve also not beaten Pete DeBoer’s clubs in three previous tries. It’s not about winning two in a row. It’s about winning Game 6 at Ball Arena, protecting home ice, then heading to Dallas for a winner-take-all coin flip in Game 7. Imagine that.
The Avs aren’t expected to make any lineup changes. Erik Johnson was on the ice later than Sam Malinski, meaning he’ll probably sit again. They will ride with the same group, hoping the responses come from within. They’ve got way more to give than they did in Game 5, and they know it.
READ MORE: Landeskog Scores in Avalanche’s Dominating Game 4 Victory
For Dallas, it’s business as usual. They’ve been a Western Conference finalist in the previous two seasons before this one. Losing in the first round isn’t something they’re expected to do. Especially with a 3-2 series lead.
Last game, they needed their top guys to wake up, and they did. Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, and Roope Hintz entered Game 5 with four combined points through the first four games. They had eight in that game alone. No changes are coming to their lineup, meaning Miro Heiskanen again won’t play. He practiced on Wednesday alongside Thomas Harley, but head coach Pete DeBoer again said the No. 1 defenseman is getting closer but not ready yet.
It’ll be Jake Oettinger vs Mackenzie Blackwood in goal. Colorado’s netminder needs a bounce-back from Game 5.
And as for the Avalanche … they need their top stars to respond the way Dallas’ did on Monday.
Read More: 10 Observations: No Excuses For Avs Game 5 Loss
Projected Avalanche Lines (subject to change)
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Jonathan Drouin — Charlie Coyle — Joel Kiviranta
Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Josh Manson
Ryan Lindgren — Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Projected Stars Lines (subject to change)
Mikael Granlund — Roope Hintz — Mikko Rantanen
Mason Marchment — Matt Duchene — Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn — Wyatt Johnston — Evgenii Dadonov
Oskar Back — Sam Steel — Colin Blackwell
Esa Lindell — Cody Ceci
Thomas Harley — Ilya Lyubushkin
Lian Bichsel — Alexander Petrovic
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Projected Starters (subject to change)
- Confirmed: Mackenzie Blackwood (COL)
- Confirmed: Jake Oettinger (DAL)
Avalanche Injuries
- Ross Colton (lower body, TBD)
Stars Injuries
- Miro Heiskanen (knee, day-to-day)
- Jason Robertson (lower body, day-to-day)
- Nils Lundkvist (shoulder, out for season)
How to Watch
- TV: TBS, Altitude Sports (locally)
- Radio: 92.5 FM
Playoff Series Head-to-Head
- Game 1 at Dallas Stars: (W, 5-1 — Series: 1-0 COL)
- Game 2: at Dallas Stars (L, 4-3 OT — Series: 1-1)
- Game 3: vs Dallas Stars (L, 2-1 OT — Series: 2-1 DAL)
- Game 4: vs Dallas Stars (W, 4-0 — Series: 2-2
- Game 5: at Dallas Stars (L, 6-2 — Series: 3-2 DAL)
- Game 6: vs Dallas Stars (Thursday, May 1 at 7:30 pm MT)
- Game 7 at Dallas Stars (Saturday, May 3, if necessary)
Regular Season Head-to-Head
- Nov. 29 at Dallas Stars (L, 5-3)
- Jan. 18 vs Dallas Stars (W, 6-3)
- March 16 vs Dallas Stars (W, 4-3 OT)
Donate To The CHN Playoff Travel Fund to help us cover road games: VENMO or PAYPAL
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Leave or Stay: Jonathan Drouin Enters Third Straight Year as UFA
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Avalanche Mailbag 4.0: Clearing Cap Space, Offseason Changes & Should Avs Re-Sign Nelson?
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Avalanche Mailbag: Let Your Frustrations Out — Ask Us Anything!
5 Takeaways: Sakic, MacFarland Discuss Disappointing End To Season
Avalanche Mailbag 2.0: Revisiting the Mikko Rantanen Saga
Avalanche Retain Jared Bednar, Fire Assistant Coach Ray Bennett Following Early Playoff Exit
Avalanche Mailbag 1.0: Coaching, Management, & What Went Wrong in the Playoffs?
This comeback can only happen if all hands are on deck, especially Makar, Nichushkin and Nelson–where have they been?
Dallas has seemed to be the hungrier team and has played well without 2 of their best players, Heiskanen & Robertson.
The DAL injury narrative has become tiresome. Yes, it’s true. But, no one talks about the Ross Colton injury early in G1 of this series that forced lineup changes immediately. Or that COL had the second most man games lost to injury of all teams in the NHL in the regular season. Or that DAL has been w/o Miro for months and long ago adapted their D. In short, teams make their own luck. Let’s go AVS!!!
There’s a HUGE difference between missing your all world best D. And a top line 40 goal scoring wing. And the Avs missing a 3rd line winger, who isn’t much of an impact player.
The Avs trailed Winnipeg last year and won that series so there is more recent evidence than 2019 but that was after game 1 so it was a different situation
Fire the clueless Bednar, pronto! Complete clueless dead-brain coach. Stop blaming the players all the time. He is no playoffs material. Enough is enough!
Dead brain would be this post, not the coach. Bednar may be too unemotional to inspire his players but his hockey intellect is second to none. While I agree it may be time to move on, it’s based on Bednar’s ability to get his team to play with heart and emotion when they are clearly the more talented team.
You lost me at Bednar’s “hockey intellect is second to none”. He’s not a bad coach but that is a huge stretch!
Disagree. Bednar’s analytics are “second to none”. What he lacks is the emotion and inspiration.
The “second to none” coach really shined in game 7.
Am I crazy or does EJ/Middleton make more sense than Lindgren/Malinksi? Middleton has been good with the puck and he’s not a liability like Lindgren.
At least we would have some size on the ice at 225/240 vs 195/190. It’s not like Dallas is big top to bottom or anything.
Lindgren has been completely useless, well except for the fact that he’s good at giving Dallas at least 1 Powerplay opportunity per game. Why is he playing over EJ? (Insert head scratch here)
^This. We’re getting manhandled. Need some muckers for the corners. Wood sb in for Drouin.
We were absolutely manhandled last game. I like that last suggestion you made. Get Drouin out of there.
Let’s get some enthusiasm for our boys in the comment section. No amount of criticism is gonna change what happens tonight. Let’s cheer em on. GO AVS GO
LFG AVS!!!
Tell us something we don’t know brainiac. Wasn’t aware that you are anointed as a Saint. Is it okay with you if fans have an opinion? Maybe you should start your own site so you can moderate it too. Smh
they need to put Wedgewood!
Rofl blackwood has been pretty lights out man. Stop trolling
Game 2 and 3 is gonna haunt the avs when they couldve won them both on a PP chance.
Any update on colton? I’m suprised EJ isn’t playing
Nothing about McKinnon & Makar for Lindsay? Nothing about McKinnon being snubbed for Hart? This site has gone downhill. I see Avs news way sooner on other sites. Pick it up Aarif or move along please.
Yea, your right. We should be totally focused on the individual awards. Team based stuff is secondary. The biggest issue here, I believe Mackinnon may just be more upset about the Hart snub, than he is about the playoff loss about to happen. Wouldn’t surprise me if half the team has a golf trip planned for this weekend. Why not? They already got paid for the season, half of them already have rings. The playoffs are just an inconvenience at this point. Longer off season is so much nicer!
Middle of 2nd, Blackie gives up a bad one, 3-3. Needed a G change right here, didn’t happen. This is where Bednar just doomed us. We came out after 1 and decided 2-0 was enough. Now its even after a bad goal given up by Blackie and team needs a kick in the ass. Fail!!!
In an elimination game and this being Blackwood’s first playoff experience, we live or die with Blacky. He needs this time in the pressure cooker.
This is not the time to worry about his ego. It is win or go home. Changing tendys is a tool a coach can use to light a fire under his team. You cannot wait til your out of the game when it is an elimination game. To hell with experience, we are not trying to set up next year, we want the cup this year. Trust me, Blackie wants to win, if getting yanked gets it done, he will be happy and ready to go next game.
There is zero reason to dress Drouin.
Malinski and Girard are too small for this style of play. Need to bring in EJ and Middleton.
God bless Landy.
A squeaker that shouldn’t have been.