Colorado coach Jared Bednar has stressed the importance of winning games within the division, so Saturday’s game against the visiting Dallas Stars has more meaning for both teams.
The Avalanche and Stars are coming off disappointing home losses, but neither defeat was to a division opponent. Saturday’s matchup in Denver could be a four-point swing in the Central Division, where Colorado and Dallas are currently separated by two points.
Dallas has those two extra points in part because it has gone 11-3-1 within the Central, while the Avalanche are 6-7-0. Saturday will be the second of three games between the teams, with the Stars having won 5-3 in Dallas on Nov. 29.
Both teams are dealing with injuries to key players. Colorado is still without Miles Wood (upper body) and Valeri Nichushkin (lower body), and neither appears to be returning soon, while Dallas is missing Tyler Seguin (hip surgery) and Mason Marchment (facial surgery). Roope Hintz missed Thursday’s 3-1 loss to Montreal with an upper-body injury suffered in Toronto on Tuesday.
That has taken away some of the Stars’ scoring punch. Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens came down to a deflection that got by Stars goalie Jake Oettinger.
“With some of the scoring we have out of the lineup — Roope, Marchment and Seguin — we’ve got to get some of those ugly goals like that, too,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said.
Saturday will be the sixth road game in the last seven for the Stars, who have won eight of their last 10. They’ve been able to hold opponents in check and have allowed more than two goals just twice in the last 10.
Hintz leads the team in goals with 19 but former Avalanche player Matt Duchene’s 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) is tops for Dallas. Jason Robertson (12 goals, 25 assists) and Wyatt Johnson (10 goals, 22 assists) are second and third in scoring.
Duchene eliminated his former team from last year’s playoffs with a double-overtime goal in Game 6, part of five wins in the last six games between the teams. Colorado will try to change the momentum Saturday.
For the Avalanche to win they need better results on their power play and a more consistent effort. Bednar criticized his team’s play in an overtime win against the New York Rangers on Tuesday. The effort improved Thursday but the power play remained ineffective.
Colorado hasn’t scored on 16 straight power-play chances, just once in the last 21 and is six for their last 53 despite having the NHL’s leading scorer in Nathan MacKinnon (17 goals, 55 assists) and Mikko Rantanen (25 goals, 37 assists), who is fifth in the league.
Following a six-game winning streak, the Avalanche have alternated wins and losses over the last six games. They beat New York because goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood had a great game but their overall play has been lacking, Bednar said.
“We’re just not firing on all cylinders, and it’s been the better part of a week,” he said. “So, got to fix it.”
