Colorado is riding an eight-game win streak but doesn't plan on sitting back against a struggling team.

The Avalanche are 2-2 in matinee games this season — with a win and loss at Ball Arena. The early start could pose an issue for either team but they both played Friday night so will come into the game Sunday afternoon on the same schedule. 

Head coach Jared Bednar said he likes the early start to get going so the energy for both teams will likely be high out of the gate. 

"I don't think we're really too worried about who we're playing right now. I think the team is feeling really good. Things seem to be clicking. I think all the new guys, I think we're fitting in pretty well," Sean Walker said after an optional practice on Saturday. "We know kind of where Pittsburgh's at, kind of been struggling lately, but they still have those high-powered guys that you can't take them lightly so we'll be ready to go and just play our game and hopefully get the result we want."  

The Penguins sit in the seventh spot of the Metropolitan Division while the Avalanche are top of the Central with 95 points. But Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are highly-skilled shooters that know how to score goals. 

"I think any team that's got Sid (Crosby) and Malkin on there, they're dangerous. So just have to be aware of them all over the ice and really just continue to check the way we've been checking," Zach Parise said. "It's a transition game, and the way we've been able to counter the last little while has been really good. We haven't given up a ton in our own zone so that never changes, that's always a focus, doesn't matter who you're playing, play well in your own zone and that'll lead to scoring chances." 

The Avalanche have won their last eight consecutive games and have gotten production from the depth of their team to keep them in the win column. Nathan MacKinnon could extend his home point scoring streak to 34 if he ends up on the scoresheet against Pittsburgh. 

The Avalanche were shut out by the Penguins 4-0 in the teams' first matchup on Oct. 26 at PPG Paints Arena. 

Projected lineup

Since it's an early game, there is no morning skate and Saturday's practice was optional. The lineup should start out the same as it was against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. 

Valeri Nichushkin — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Artturi Lehkonen — Casey Mittelstadt — Jonathan Drouin
Brandon Duhaime — Ross Colton — Zach Parise
Miles Wood — Andrew Cogliano — Yakov Trenin

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Josh Manson
Jack Johnson — Sean Walker

Alexandar Georgiev
Justus Annunen

The puck drops at noon for the Avs' matinee game — they have three more before the regular season ends. 

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