The Colorado Avalanche (7-1-4) face off against the San Jose Sharks (3-6-2) at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBCSCA and ALT. Both teams have made changes to their lineups as they prepare for this important matchup.
Avalanche Projected Lineup
The Avalanche are expected to field the following players:
- Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
- Ross Colton — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
- Gabriel Landeskog — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson
- Parker Kelly — Zakhar Bardakov — Gavin Brindley
Defense and Goaltending
- Devon Toews — Cale Makar
- Josh Manson — Brent Burns
- Ilya Solovyov — Sam Malinski
The goalie for the Avalanche will be Mackenzie Blackwood, marking his season debut after recovering from offseason surgery. Scott Wedgewood also remains a key part of the team, coming off a start against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Sharks Projected Lineup
San Jose’s anticipated lineup includes:
- Tyler Toffoli — Macklin Celebrini — Will Smith
- Philipp Kurashev — Alexander Wennberg — William Eklund
- Collin Graf — Michael Misa — Jeff Skinner
- Barclay Goodrow — Ty Dellandrea — Patrick Giles
Defense and Goaltending
- Dmitry Orlov — Timothy Liljegren
- Mario Ferraro — John Klingberg
- Sam Dickinson — Shakir Mukhamadullin
The goaltenders for the Sharks will be Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic. Also notable is that forward Ryan Reaves will miss the game due to a lower-body injury sustained during a recent victory against the New Jersey Devils.
Status Updates
Injury reports and lineup changes highlight both teams:
- Avalanche Injuries: Samuel Girard (upper body), Joel Kiviranta (lower body), Logan O’Connor (hip surgery).
- Sharks Injuries: Nick Leddy (upper body), Adam Gaudette (upper body), Ryan Reaves (lower body).
- Misa may return to the lineup following a recent healthy scratch.
- If Dickinson plays, it will mark his 10th game, making him ineligible to return to London in the Ontario Hockey League.
As both teams prepare for this matchup, the Avalanche look to continue their strong play, while the Sharks aim to capitalize on their home advantage.
