Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars (8:00 p.m.)

The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars will take things to Denver, CO, tonight for game three of their second-round showdown. Colorado made a stellar comeback effort in games one and two but only got enough to secure a victory in game one. Will they get off to a better start tonight at home, or will Dallas get out on the front foot again?

Colorado Avalanche

Making a habit of needing 3+ goal comebacks won’t get you far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that’s been the route for Colorado in this series. I’d expect them to lean into the home crowd and environment to come out flying in game three. We’ve seen repeatedly how successful this team is at home, and that characteristic will prove monumental if they go undefeated at home. Doing so would secure a conference final birth.

Some of Colorado’s third-period adjustments seem to work out for Colorado in game two, but I’m more concerned about what didn’t work. In game two, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen had their least productive game of the playoffs. If Dallas can effectively shut down two Colorado stars, they might not get enough from their depth to hang in there.

It’s also worth noting that although Devon Toews did return to the ice after the high hit he took from Benn, head injuries are hard to gauge and manage. I, for one, hope he does what’s best for his health, but I also know that the D group cannot afford to lose someone of his esteem.

Projected Lines

Valeri Nichushkin (13) - Nathan MacKinnon (29) - Mikko Rantanen (96)
Artturi Lehkonen (62) - Casey Mittelstadt (37) - Zach Parise (9)
Miles Wood (28) - Ross Colton (20) - Chris Wagner (14)* -
Andrew Cogliano (11) - Yakov Trenin (73) - Brandon Duhaime (12)

Devon Toews (7) - Cale Makar (8)
Sam Girard (49) - Josh Manson (42)
Jack Johnson (3) - Sean Walker (26)

*Note: Jonathan Drouin did return to the ice while in Dallas and will be a part of the morning skate. We will see if he comes out for warmups or if we get a statement from Bednar.

Dallas Stars

Dallas is fortunate to have tied this series with how things ended in game two. Colorado was only (another) goal with an empty net away from tying things at four and completing one of the wildest third-period comebacks ever. Jake Oettinger was Dallas’ best player, and honestly, if not for his stellar play, things might have gone from bad to worse for the Stars.

They seem comfortable exchanging transition blows with Colorado and have the horses to cash in. That’s a dangerous game against the Avalanche, who have proven to score in bunches when they get going. I wonder if we see an adjustment from Peter DeBoer that involves muddying up the neutral zone. Game three should provide the clearest adjustments from both sides, so keep an eye on that.

Projected Lines

Jason Robertson (21) - Roope Hintz (24) - Logan Stankoven (11)
Jamie Benn (14) - Wyatt Johnston (53) - Joe Pavelski (16)
Mason Marchment (27) - Matt Duchene (95) - Tyler Seguin (91)
Evgenii Dadonov (63) - Sam Steel (18) - Craig Smith (15)

Thomas Harley (55) - Miro Hiskanen (4)
Esa Lindell (23) - Chris Tanev (3)
Ryan Suter (20) - Nils Lundkvist (5)

Goaltenders

It’s best on best yet again at Ball Arena, with Alexandar Georgiev getting the nod for Colorado and Jake Oettinger between the pipes for Dallas.

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