Game 9 Preview: Avalanche @ Blackhawks

The Avalanche will be looking to put Tuesday night behind them. Against  a struggling Nashville team that had yet to win a road game, the Avs looked atrocious. After a solid first period in which the Avs peppered Pekka Rinne with 16 shots, the Avs fell off the grid and allowed the Predators to take over the game. The Avs had a window to get back into the game early in the third, but after Ryan Ellis stood tall to bail out Rinne, the Predators put up two quick goals and the Avs seemed disinterested from that point on. The most alarming part of Tuesday was probably that last part. For the first time in the Bednar era, the Avs really gave up on a game. Yes, they were down by four goals and the momentum wasn't going their way, but a group of grown men being paid to be competitive, should be competitive for the entirety of a game.

Nonetheless, the Avs will look to put that behind them as they head to a celebrating Chicago to take on a Blackhawk team that has recovered from a rocky start to the season. After dropping three of their first five, the Hawks have turned things around, taking home at least a point in their last five. The Hawks have momentum, but the Avs have Semyon Varlamov, who always seems to play his best in Chicago.

LINES

Grigorenko-MacKinnon-Rantannen

Landeskog-Duchene-Iginla

R. Bourque-Soderberg-Martinsen

McLeod-Mitchell-Colborne

Zadorov-Johnson

Wierchioch-Barrie

Beauchemin-Tyutin

Varlamov

Pickard

NOTES

- The Blackhawks have surrendered more power play goals than any other team in the league.

- Mikko Rantannen is still looking for his first career NHL point.

- The United Center production crew will refrain from playing music tonight due to the large number of hangovers in attendence.

GAME INFO

Game time: 6:30pm MT

TV: ALT