Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET, the Colorado Avalanche (19-6-0, 38 points) and Edmonton Oilers (9-18-2, 20 points) faceoff live from Rexall Place in the first of three games against each other this season. The game can be live streamed here. Colorado fans can hear all of the hard-hitting action on KRWZ 950 while Edmonton fans can do the same on 630 CHED.
Colorado is 5-1-0 since dropping three straight games in November while Edmonton has been alternating wins and losses as of late.
The Avalanche made the most of a four-day break from games before tonight and now the team plays 11 games between tonight and the Christmas break.
"For me, I think, for other guys who have nagging injuries, I think it's good to have the four days and get healthy again because now we start traveling a lot and your body doesn't heal up as quickly, you're not in the comfort of your own bed," Paul Stastny said after practice Wednesday per NHL.com. "I think it was a good, needed rest, but now it's time to put it in overdrive."
Stastny is tied for second on the team in scoring with 17 points off of eight goals and nine assists while Ryan O'Reilly also has 17 points off of nine tallies and eight helpers. Gabriel Landeskog (nine goals, 11 assists) and Matt Duchene (12 goals, eight assists) each have 20 points to lead the Avalanche.
The Oilers are a bit concerned after suffering a 6-2 setback against the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday and the coaching staff is focusing on better communication between the players.
"My message at the end of practice was, 'Guys, we just spoke about this and all I heard was skates, skating, pucks and shots," coach Dallas Eakins told NHL.com. "Yell the guy's name. Communicate on the ice.' That's your first line of offense, it's your first line of defense, it's communication. That's the simplest part of it and it's the most effective part of the game."
Jordan Eberle leads the Oilers with 23 points off of nine goals and 14 assists while David Perron has lit the lamp 11 times and added 11 helpers for 22 points and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has found the back of the net six times and added 15 assists for 21 points.
That unit will try and best Avalanche netminder Semyon Varlamov, who is 13-6-0 with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Devan Dubnyk is 7-12-1 with a 3.38 GAA and a ,889 save percentage this season for the Oilers.
The Avalanche will hope that a long layoff will find them rejuvenated while the Oilers look to start stringing some wins together when the puck drops tonight at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
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