Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET, the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalance kickoff their seasons with a tilt against one another at the Pepsi Center in Colorado. The game can be live streamed here. Ducks fans can hear it all at KLAA AM 830, while Avalanche fans can do the same at KRWZ AM 950
Colorado has a surge of youth, and its young budding stars will be on full display tonight when Nathan MacKinnon makes his NHL debut against an Anaheim team that finished second in the Western Conference last season. MacKinnon, drafted No.1 overall in the 2013 NHL Entry draft, had 32 goals and 43 assists for 75 points witht the Halifax Mooseheads last season.
The Ducks look to get a lift if defenseman Francois Beauchemin possibly returns after having reconstructive knee surgery in May. Beauchemin said on Monday that days off have contributed into his rapid recovery and possibility of taking the ice tonight.
"It's amazing what one day off makes," he told the team's website. "I took one day off Thursday and felt great. I had [Sunday] off, and [Monday] was a really good day. Going through an injury like I did, a day off is really the key to make sure you recover well."
The Ducks are looking to bounce back after a very strong regular season saw the team go 30-12-6 in the 48-game lockout-shortened season, and the club notched its first Pacific Division crown since its Stanley Cup season in 2006-07. While the regular season was strong, Anaheim had a disappointing early exit when the Detroit Red Wings eliminated the club in seven games in the first round.
The Avalanche, meanwhile, are coming off a season where the youthful team missed the playoffs for the third straight campaign with a 16-25-7 overall record, but hope that with the years put in of drafting young talent the team can start to turn things around this season. Afterall, the team captain Gabriel Landeskog is only 20.
Landeskog had nine goals and eight assists for 17 points for the Avalanche last year while dealing with a concussion through 36 games. In his rookie season in 2011-12, the young winger notched 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points, and he'll look to lead the Avalanche out of the cellar this season.
Between the pipes, the Avalanche have Semyon Varlamov (11-21-3 in 2013 with 3.02 GAA and .903 save percentage) and Jean-Sebastien Giguere (5-4-4, 2.84/.908). Anaheim had some great goaltending last year between Jonas Hiller (26-15-6, 2.36/.913) and the emergence of Viktor Fasth (15-6-2, 2.18/.921)
The Ducks are looking to erase a painful memory of last year's playoffs and expand on their great season from last year, while the Avalanche hope that their youth movement can get things going when these teams hit the ice for their respective season-openers tonight.
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
