Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Colorado Avalanche GameDay, Odd, TV/Radio, And Preview
By Larry Snyder
With their 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins (36-17-9, 81 points) seek to make it five in a row tonight when they skate against Avalanche in Denver, Colorado.
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The Pens remain in third place in the Metropolitan Division of the National Hockey League. They are three points behind the New York Rangers (39-17-6, 84 points) and four points in back of the first place New York Islanders (41-21-3, 85 points). Mike Johnston’s squad is 16-7-6 on the road this season and 6-3-1 in their last 10 match-ups.
The Rangers defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 Monday at Madison Square Garden. They are in Detroit tonight to do battle with the Red Wings. The Isles lost Tuesday 3-2 in overtime against the Stars in Dallas. They will be in Nashville Thursday to take on the Preds.
Coming off Saturday’s 3-1 loss at home to the Minnesota Wild, Patrick Roy’s crew (27-25-11, 65 points) begin a two-game road trip following tonight’s contest with the Black and Gold. The Avalanche are in last place in the Central Division of the NHL’s Western Conference. They are 16-13-3 at home this season and 5-5-0 in their last 10 games.
This evening is the second of a pair of matchups this season when these two teams drop the puck at center ice. In the opening meeting Thursday, Dec. 18, left wing Blake Comeau recorded the winning goal in overtime as the Pens defeated the Avs 1-0 at Consol Energy Center.
When: Wednesday, March 4
Puck Drop: 10:05 p.m.
Site: Pepsi Center
Television: ROOT Sports Network
Announcers: Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey
Radio Coverage: 105.9 FM – The X and the Penguins Radio Network
Announcers: Mike Lange and Phil Bourque
Live Video Steam: NHL GameCenter LIVE
Audio Stream: Penguins Radio 24/7
Sirius XM Satellite Radio: XM Internet 942
Odds: Penguins -1.5 According to the Oddsmaker Online Sportsbook with the Over/Under at 5.5.
Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov, 26, is expected to get the call tonight for his 20th consecutive start.The 6-foot-2, 209-pound netminder has compiled a 2-2-1 record against the Penguins in his career with a 2.94 goals against average and .906 save percentage.
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Colorado center Mathan Mackinnon has four goals in his past four contests, and leads the club in shots with 190 this season. Right wing Jarome Iginla leads the Avs in goals with 19 and points with 42, while left wing Gabriel Landeskog is the leader on special teams with four power play scores.
According to David Satriano on the Penguins web site, newly acquired defensemen Ian Cole and Ben Lovejoy will meet up with the team today in Denver.
Evgeni Malkin has five goals and six assists for 11 points in the last five games. His 64 points tie him with Sidney Crosby for the team lead. Both are tied with Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks, with the trio all at three behind Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom of the Capitals for the lead in the NHL.
The Tribune Review is reporting that Pittsburgh should open their four-game road trip with Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound goaltender is 7-2-0 lifetime against Colorado with a 2.01 GAA and .927 save percentage. The Sorel, Quebec native had 29 saves in the shutout victory back in December.
Up Next: The Black and Gold continue their Western road swing Friday, March 6 when they take on the Anaheim Ducks (41-17–7, 89 points) at the Honda Center. The puck is set to drop at 10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.
From The Clipboard: Kris Letang leads all NHL defensemen with 49 points this season on 10 goals and 39 assists…Fleury is one victory short of 30 for the seventh time in his career…Brandon Sutter has five points in his last eight contests as he has put up two goals and three assists…The Pens have had our power play goals in four consecutive games.
Josh Yohe of the Tribune Review, tweeted out the defensive pairings after today’s skate in Denver…
Letang-Martin
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) March 4, 2015
Scuderi-Cole
Pouliot-Lovejoy
Here are the forward lines according to Yohe…
Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) March 4, 2015
Kunitz-Malkin-Comeau
Winnik-Sutter-Downie
Spaling-Lapierre-Bennett/Adams