C + A + A = Top Line #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/D0q0yzXSiK

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 16, 2021

They have played together for years and they have an undeniable chemistry. They are also an offensive powerhouse together and apart, with a collective 1,212 points across the three of them. 

Instead of going with that top line, Head Coach Jared Bednar chose the combination he had been testing throughout training camp with Andre Burakovsky taking Landeskog’s spot and Landeskog added to the second line with Nazem Kadri and newcomer Brandon Saad. 

Burakovsky had a decent showing in an otherwise dismal game. He scored the only Avalanche goal of the contest on the second unit’s power play, but was a -1. 

Burky with first goal of the season! *tips cap*

Now let's see a few more!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/ewH4HZTUYL

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 14, 2021

In the first game against the Blues, the line of Landeskog-Kadri-Saad was a collective -10, and did not tally a single point. 

Saad is currently a -4 and has not yet registered a point. This is not a reason to panic just two games into the season. Saad missed the first part of training camp, and is adjusting to a new team. If 10 games pass and he is still pointless? Maybe cause for concern, but, he might just need time to acclimated. It is still early. 

Landeskog’s performance in the first game against the Blues was the interesting showing. The Avalanche captain was -3, took a tripping penalty against Tyler Bozak and looked a bit sloppy. Like Saad, he was also out of training camp early on, but Landeskog has been with the Avalanche organization for his 10th year. 

After that game, Bednar was quick to say during practice on Thursday that he would be reuniting the famous top line to the collective “THANK YOU” of Avalanche fans. 

A couple changes on the top two lines for the #Avs, per coach Jared Bednar:

Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Saad-Kadri-Burakovsky

Bednar said he wanted to move Saad to the left so he's using his forehand more, and Landeskog moved back to the MacKinnon line.

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) January 14, 2021

In the second game, Landeskog scored two goals, one being his 200th, and Kadri scored a goal. But they were not on a line together. The top line of Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen was reunited, and each of them scored at least a goal in that blowout 8–0 victory. 

It absolutely made sense to break up the Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen line ahead of the season—it allows depth scoring down the front and gives that second line a bit more toughness. 

Plus, back in November of 2019, there was a month-long stretch where both Landeskog and Rantanen were out with injuries. In a shortened season in such a hectic time, there is a need for flexibility when you have to factor injuries and COVID-19 protocol. If those three can only score together, that is going to be a problem.

With new players, it takes time to get adjusted to a new system. So as those players get adjusted and the chemistry grows, then it might be time to switch things up. More line changes and different combinations are likely to be tested as the season continues, as different lines might work against different teams. 

“I’m certainly going to stick with (Landeskog, MacKinnon and Rantanen on the top line) here for a few games,” Bednar said after practice on Sunday. “Sometimes, I think we’re better with them apart and sometimes we’re better with them together.”

The post Colorado Avalanche top line reunited after dismal start appeared first on The Rink.

Colorado did come out strong initially, scoring two early goals and dominating early gameplay, but they suffered multiple penalties in the second period which the Stars capitalized on, resulting in four unanswered goals before the end of the second. And, despite a valiant effort by backup goaltender Pavel Francouz, the Avalanche now look to play from behind in their race for the Stanley Cup.

Starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Erik Johnson did not play and, per Bednar, are out indefinitely. In place of Johnson, the Avalanche pulled Eagles defenseman Kevin Connauton into their lineup, who worked hard but could not quite fill the role of Samuel Girard’s defensive partner. Forward Matt Calvert was a scratch for both Game One and Two against the Stars and continues to be day-to-day.

First period

Colorado began the game by putting pucks on net at every single chance they were given, and the scoreboard reflected their intensity. Dallas committed their first of nine penalties at just 5:54 into the period, and the Avs’ top line did not disappoint. Less than 30 seconds into the power play, MacKinnon slapped a beautiful saucer pass from Rantanen into the back of the net. The goal tied MacKinnon with Joe Sakic and Marian Stastny for the longest playoff point streak in franchise history.

Nathan MacKinnon wires home Mikko Rantanen's perfect saucer pass pic.twitter.com/w65AgPQ76Q

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) August 25, 2020

The Avalanche continued to put pucks on net in the period, with good shot attempts by Ian Cole and exceptional saves by Francouz. A double penalty for roughing on Gabriel Landeskog and Mattias Janmark generated no goals, but the Avs ultimately outshot the Stars 20–6 in the period. They put bodies in front of Stars goalie Anton Khudobin, dominated the crease and killed all three of Dallas’ first-period penalties.

Second period

The quick and aggressive Colorado team from the first period carried over into the first half of the second. After a slashing call on Joe Pavelski against MacKinnon, MacKinnon slipped a pass to Rantanen from behind the net, who shot it high above Khudobin’s right shoulder, and the Avs scored their second power-play goal of the game for a 2–0 lead.

Mikko and Nate on the power play.

It's like we've heard it before!#GoAvsGo https://t.co/RfwNp4Z0a5

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 25, 2020

After the goal, however, the Avalanche’s luck seemed to roll only downhill. The Stars attempted to dislodge a puck that Francouz had already covered, and a fight broke out that resulted only in a slashing penalty on Girard against Corey Perry. Then, at 9:43 into the second period, Cole committed an interference penalty against the Stars, and Pavelski and Radek Faksa scored two goals on the ensuing power play to level the score at 2–2.

The penalties from both teams did not stop there, but Colorado could not capitalize on any of their power plays and the game began to look chippy. At 15:34 into the second period, Dallas deflected a shot into the net over Francouz, putting the Stars up 3–2. With less than three minutes left in the second, Nazem Kadri—who has excelled in the playoffs for the Avalanche this season—left the ice after blocking a shot. He returned to the bench at the start of the third period, ruling out a serious injury. The Stars scored again shortly after, and although the goal was challenged by the Avalanche’s coaching staff, the referee review resulted in a good Dallas goal. The Stars ended the period with a 4–2 lead and having closed the shots-on-goal gap significantly.

https://twitter.com/hayyyshayyy/status/1298100905678692355?s=20

Third period

Despite hopes that the Avalanche would come out swinging in the third period, and despite two Dallas penalties that led to good Avalanche power play opportunities, Colorado continued to choose the extra pass over available shot attempts. The team looked visibly frustrated at times, and despite bursts of physicality and defensive hustle, they could not close Dallas’s goal lead and finished the game down 5–2 after an empty-net goal by Jamie Oleksiak. Although a couple of Stars goals seemed reliant on luck and bad puck bounces, the Avalanche defense ultimately could not immobilize the Dallas offense, and missed shot opportunities resulted in an Avalanche loss.

What’s next

With the Stars up 2–0 in the series, Dallas and Colorado face off for Game Three on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. MDT. Colorado will be playing from behind and looking to close the two-game deficit. Defenseman Erik Johnson will likely miss Game Three as well, and fans should expect Colorado to step up their defensive play in his absence. On stat watch is Nathan MacKinnon, who has scored at least a point in all 10 games the Avalanche have played this postseason and continues to climb the record boards.

The post Despite goals from MacKinnon and Rantanen, Avalanche fall to Stars in Game Two after five unanswered Dallas goals appeared first on The Rink.

7:00pm CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (14–11–4, SV%: .893, GAA: 3.72)
Colorado – Semyon Varlamov (19–18–9, SV%: .910, GAA: 2.86)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.4%, 14th)
Colorado (21.7%, 8th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.4%, 31st)
Colorado (77.9%, 27th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5, 11th; 34.9, 30th)
Colorado (33.0, 5th; 31.7, T18th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.2%, 8th)
Colorado (9.6%, 13th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.4%, 21st)
Colorado (48.4%, 26th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Colorado 6’1” 201lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Dylan Sikura–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Colorado Avalanche

Derick Brassard–Nathan MacKinnon–J.T. Compher

Colin Wilson–Carl Soderberg–Mikko Rantanen

Alexander Kerfoot–Tyson Jost–Matt Calvert

Sven Andrighetto–Gabriel Bourque–Ryan Graves

Samuel Girard–Erik Johnson

Ian Cole–Tyson Barrie

Patrik Nemeth–Nikita Zadorov

Analysis

After yesterday’s disappointing loss, the Blackhawks now sit six points out of the final wild card spot after Colorado gained two points, now sitting at 80. Not only did Colorado better their position in the race, but Arizona and Minnesota both improved over the last two days and currently sit at 79 points in the standings. The gap that the Blackhawks need to make up has now grown larger.

Today’s game will show a lot about this Blackhawks team. If they are a playoff team, they will respond today and go into Arizona looking to take two points as well. Every game now down the stretch is truly the most important game of the season.

The Avalanche were able to capture two points yesterday despite missing both Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. It’s uncertain if Rantanen will play today, but whether he does or not, the Avalanche certainly have the edge going into this evening’s contest.

The Blackhawks will show who they truly are in this playoff race. Are they a contender or a pretender?

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks vs Avalanche appeared first on The Rink.

6:30pm CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (14–9–4, SV%: .894, GAA: 3.69)
Colorado – Semyon Varlamov (16–15–8, SV%: .911, GAA: 2.79)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (21.7%, 11th)
Colorado (21.9%, 8th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.5%, 31st)
Colorado (77.3%, 26th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.7, 17th; 35.4, 30th)
Colorado (32.8, 7th; 31.3, T16th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.6%, 7th)
Colorado (9.9%, 12th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.8%, 18th)
Colorado (48.4%, T25th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Colorado 6’1” 201lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dylan Sikura

Chris Kunitz–Marcus Kruger–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson

Colorado Avalanche

Alexander Kerfoot–Nathan MacKinnon–Sven Andrighetto

Matthew Nieto–Carl Soderberg–Mikko Rantanen

Gabriel Landeskog–Tyson Jost–Matt Calvert

A.J. Greer–Andrew Agozzino–J.T. Compher

Samuel Girard–Erik Johnson

Ryan Graves–Tyson Barrie

Patrik Nemeth–Nikita Zadorov

Analysis

After nearly blowing a 4-1 lead in Detroit, the Blackhawks return home for two critical games at the United Center on Friday and Sunday. First, the Blackhawks host the Avalanche who, with a win, they will pass for a spot in the wild card standings. Sunday also proves meaningful, as the first wild card team, the Dallas Stars, come to town.

Patrick Kane extended his point streak to 18 games in Detroit. His overtime winner capped off a two-goal performance, which saw his assist streak come to an end. Nonetheless, Patrick Kane continues to make a great case for MVP this season, especially if the Blackhawks squeak into the playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche come into Friday’s game with momentum, after defeating the first place Winnipeg Jets 7-1. The Avalanche hope to bring that momentum to the United Center on Friday night to fend off the red-hot Blackhawks from jumping them in the standings. The Avalanche have won three of their last four games after losing eight straight games dating back to January 21st.

The Avalanche’s top line has been split up since the early part of the season. Once upon a time, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen were three of the hottest players in the league. Now, despite still being very good, none of the players are playing together on a line as Colorado has tried jump-starting their team after their awful cold streak.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks vs Avalanche appeared first on The Rink.