Colorado lost its last two games and lacked a competitive edge at times which cost them points in the standings.
Colorado lost its last two games and lacked a competitive edge at times which cost them points in the standings.
Colorado is struggling to play a full 60 minutes after the All-Star Break. The team is looking for a win in Carolina but needs to up its game to earn the two points.
“I don’t think we were good enough and hungry enough and consistent enough in some areas of our game to win those games,” Jared Bednar said about the team's last two losses after morning skate on Thursday.
The Avalanche head coach said he wants to see his team come out with more energy and keep that consistent throughout the game. The Avs lacked a level of intensity and competitiveness in the overtime loss to the New York Rangers and regulation loss to the New Jersey Devils, that they need to dial in against a tough Carolina team.
"Knowing how stingy this team is defensively we're going to have to be a little bit of that way ourselves tonight," Bednar said. "Really disciplined on our defending details — tracking, reloading, getting back above pucks, making it hard for them to move. If we don't have anything on the rush attack, we're going to have to play in behind them. Cause you can't give this team easy goals, cause you know they're not going to do it for you."
The first matchup between the clubs was on Oct. 26 with a hard-fought 6-4 win at Ball Arena. While the Canes are also coming off a loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, Mikko Rantanen said his team needs to get to its game after the long break.
“Obviously when you take a week off and do some workouts it's tough [to get back into rhythm], but I think after the first game you should be ready to play the next game," the 27-year-old Finn said after the loss to the Devils. "I think guys are trying, but maybe timing and execution is a little off, so hopefully that will come next game.”
Defenseman Cale Makar is riding an eight-game point streak, both the longest active run by an NHL defenseman this season and tied for his longest point streak in 2023-24. The 25-year-old can break Tyson Barrie's franchise record for most points by a defenseman (307) with a pair of points in tonight's game.
Projected lineup
Bednar gave Alexandar Georgiev the night off last game but it's expected to have him in net at PNC Arena.
Jonathan Drouin — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Zach Parise — Ryan Johansen — Artturi Lehkonen
Miles Wood — Ross Colton — Logan O'Connor
Andrew Cogliano — Fredrik Olofsson — Joel Kiviranta
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Josh Manson
Bowen Byram — Jack Johnson
Alexandar Georgiev
Justus Annunen
The puck drops at 5 p.m. MT.
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