Preview: A Naz-ty Reunion Against Minnesota

The Colorado Avalanche, boasting the most formidable lineup in the NHL this season, just got a little nastier coming out of the NHL trade deadline.

Or, perhaps more fittingly, Naz-tier.

Nazem Kadri begins his second stint as a member of the Avs today, who face the newly reconfigured Minnesota Wild in a high stakes matchup at Ball Arena.

Colorado Avalanche (42-10-9)

The Opponent: Minnesota Wild (37-16-10)

Time: 12:00 P.M. MST/2:00 P.M. EST

Watch: HBO MAX/TNT/truTV (U.S. National Broadcast), TVAS/TVAS+ (Canadian National Broadcast), SN+, NHL Centre Ice (Outside Avalanche and Wild Broadcast Region – Canada)

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche return home on the heels of their most challenging stretch of hockey in the wake of the Olympic break. They defeated the Dallas Stars by a 5-4 shootout decision after coming back from separate 3-1 and 4-2 deficits on Friday evening at American Airlines Center. After Stars captain Jamie Benn botched an empty net play that would have secured a key regulation victory for Dallas, Valeri Nichushkin tied the game with 13.2 seconds remaining in the third period. Scott Wedgewood, who replaced Mackenzie Blackwood after he surrendered four goals on eleven shots, was sensational in relief, stopping everything that came his way in regulation, and made brilliant saves on Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen in overtime and both Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene in the shootout. Martin Nečas scored what proved to be the shootout winner on Jake Oettinger, and Nichushkin added another shootout goal to ice the comeback, salvaging two critical points in the standings from falling into Dallas’ hands. The victory completed a sweep of the Avs’ three game road trip, and was their fifth win in six games, while snapping Dallas’ franchise record ten game winning streak.

Coach Jared Bednar said this of Nichushkin’s performance on Friday: “I feel like he’s been playing a lot better right before the break, coming out of the break, he’s starting to using his legs like we’re used to seeing. He had been fighting the puck for a little bit, had a little bit of an injury that was bothering him; he was playing through that, and he’s been snakebit […] hopefully this sparks him here, and he starts feeling it a little bit, because he deserves to put a few more back in the net.”

In their win over Dallas, the Avalanche further solidified their position as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings. Coming into today’s game against Minnesota, they have a six point lead over Dallas with a game in hand, and a nine point lead over Minnesota with two games in hand. While the Avs trail the season series as a result of their 5-2 defeat on home ice by Minnesota on February 26, this version of the Avalanche roster will look markedly different from the one that Minnesota faced previously with the return of Nazem Kadri—a reunion that many Avs fans felt was nearly impossible—after being re-acquired from the Calgary Flames on Friday afternoon.

Despite having just a twelve goals to this point in this year, his lowest since the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season, Kadri’s physicality, face-off prowess, and penchant for drawing penalties will be huge as the Avs close in on that coveted top seed for the playoffs. He should have no problem getting re-acquainted with Bednar’s system, and his chemistry within the locker room speaks for itself. Kadri will undoubtedly receive a hero’s welcome from Avs fans for his first game in a Colorado sweater in over three years.

Today marks the final game of the four game series with Minnesota, but a win by the Avalanche this afternoon could all but put the top spot in the Central Division out of Minnesota’s reach.

(Let’s try not to launch any pucks from the defensive zone on the penalty kill today.)

Nathan MacKinnon still leads the NHL with a League-best 42 goals and has closed the points gap with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (MacKinnon has 103 points; McDavid leads the League with 106). Nečas, who tied his career high in goals (28) this past Friday in Dallas, is two goals away from a tie for second place in goal scoring with Brock Nelson (30). Cale Makar is one goal away from his fourth season of reaching the 20 goal marker.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Gabe Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Parker Kelly – Nazem Kadri – Nicolas Roy
Joel Kiviranta – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley

Defense:
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Minnesota Wild

Minnesota came out of the Olympic break with a huge opportunity to gain ground in the hotly contested Central Division with their victory over Colorado. However, two consecutive losses to division opponents (ironically, a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Utah Mammoth on February 27—the night after they defeated Colorado by the exact same score—and a 3-1 loss to the St Louis Blues on March 01) allowed Dallas to reclaim second place, dropping Minnesota to third in the division. Coming into today’s game, Minnesota pulled within two points of Dallas, having defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena this past Friday, so a win in Denver today would be pretty massive. However, since Dallas holds a game in hand on Minnesota, they would still retain second place in the division. With less than twenty games left in the regular season, Minnesota may need to start getting help from other teams in order to position themselves more favorably as teams hit the final stretch of the season.

While Minnesota landed its biggest trade piece earlier this season in the Quinn Hughes deal last November, GM Bill Guerin was very active leading up to the NHL trade deadline. He claimed center Robby Fabbri off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, and acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Minnesota’s seventh round pick in this year’s draft. He also acquired center Michael McCarron in exchange for Minnesota’s second round pick in 2028.

Guerin wasn’t done there: at the deadline, he acquired right wing Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman David Jiříček. Brink made his debut for Minnesota this past Friday, but is no stranger to playing in Colorado, having won several awards at the collegiate level, including the NCAA championship in 2022, with the University of Denver Pioneers. Guerin also acquired Nick Foligno, the brother of Minnesota assistant captain Marcus Foligno, from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations. Marcus Foligno is currently out with injury, but could return to the lineup against Colorado. Vinnie Hinostroza was also dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for future considerations.

Minnesota’s retooled lineup will give them a much different appearance in this final regular season matchup against Colorado. The addition of Brink will give them another option on offense; while his thirteen goals would tie him for seventh place among Minnesota skaters, this figure is a career high for him in his short NHL career and could see a bump in his new surroundings, especially if he continues to see top six ice time like he did this past Friday against Vegas. Foligno and McCarron add a veteran presence that playoff-bound clubs find irrisitible for playoff runs, and while Fabbri has struggled in recent seasons, having roster depth—especially at center—is a must have at this time of year as teams gear up for postseason play.

Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy currently share the team lead in goals (35). Kaprizov leads all skaters in points (75), while Boldy is three points behind in second place (72). Filip Gustavsson got the start Minnesota’s previous victory in Colorado, but was unable to finish the game due to illness. With Gustavsson getting a majority of the starter’s workload since coming back from the Olympics, it’s possible Jesper Wallstedt starts today to give Gustavsson a breather prior to Minnesota’s upcoming four game homestand starting on Tuesday.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Kirill Kaprizov – Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello
Matt Boldy – Joel Eriksson Ek – Bobby Brink
Vladimir Tarasenko – Danila Yurov – Yakov Trenin
Robby Fabbri – Michael McCarron – Nico Sturm

Defense:
Quinn Hughes – Brock Faber
Jonas Brodin – Jared Spurgeon
Jake Middleton – Zach Bogosian

Between the Pipes:
Jesper Wallstedt
Filip Gustavsson

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