The Pittsburgh Penguins will continue to work without a veteran presence in their lineup.
PITTSBURGH – Wrapping up their three-game road trip, the Pittsburgh Penguins traveled to Denver to take on another Stanley Cup contender in the Colorado Avalanche. The last time these two teams met, the Penguins got the upper hand in a 4-0 win, but that was in October when the entire league was still figuring out who they could be.
Over the season, the Penguins became one of the league's most disappointing squads, while the Avalanche went on to lead the Central Division.
The Penguins struggles have mounted enough that they are well behind the playoff race, but still carry a slim chance. They would need a perfect run to make things interesting, but the Avalanche will be a stiff test.
Projected Forward Lines
Drew O’Connor – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Any time the Penguins and Avalanche meet, there is sure to be plenty of talk about Sidney Crosby's and Nathan MacKinnon's friendship. The Avalanche’s leading scorer is having an MVP-level season and can add to his case against the Penguins.
MacKinnon has a career 18 points in 19 games against the Penguins, while Crosby has racked up 19 points in 20 career games.
Michael Bunting – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell
No other Penguin has scored more since Michael Bunting joined the team. In his eight games in black and gold, Bunting has scored three goals and three assists for six points.
Bunting and Evgeni Malkin picked up multi-point efforts in the Penguins loss to the Dallas Stars, but are hopeful more production against the Avalanche can lead to a win.
Reilly Smith – Lars Eller – Valtteri Puustinen
The fire from this line may have been short-lived, but there’s still a chance something is bubbling beneath the surface with them. After getting blanked in two straight games, someone from this line is due to find some offense at a crucial point of the season.
Emil Bemstrom – Noel Acciari – Jesse Puljujarvi
For the third straight game, the Penguins will be without Jeff Carter on their fourth line. Jesse Puljujarvi will once again get the nod in Carter’s place. Puljujarvi has scored a goal in 12 games this season.
Carter traveled with the team but remains sidelined with an upper-body injury.
Projected Defensive Pairs
P.O. Joseph – Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson – Erik Karlsson
John Ludvig – Jack St. Ivany
Jack St. Ivany made his NHL debut against the Stars, and he won’t leave the Penguins’ lineup yet. Ryan Graves is still in Pittsburgh for the birth of his first child, leaving a roster spot open for St. Ivany.
Starting Goalie
Alex Nedeljkovic
When the Penguins shut out the Avalanche earlier in the year, Tristan Jarry was the goalie in net. However, It may not matter who is between the pipes, as Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic have seen their production collapse. Jarry has been pulled three times in March and Nedeljkovic doesn’t feel like he could steal the starting job anymore.
Nedeljkovic has played against the Avalanche once in his career, and he gave up three goals in a loss.
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