Preview: GirWhox?

Colorado Avalanche (45-14-5) (95 pts):

The Avalanche will be looking to end their three-game home stand with a bang, after a frustrating loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night. The team will be looking for a spark offensively, after managing only one power play goal from Nazem Kadri. They’ll be expecting a new face in the lineup as well, as newly acquired winger Artturi Lehkonen is likely to make his Avalanche debut after missing Wednesday’s contest due to immigration logistics. Darcy Kuemper projects to take the net for the second consecutive game, and will look to hop back into the win column after allowing two goals on 26 shots to the Canucks.

Projected Lines:

Nichushkin (13) - MacKinnon (29) - Rantanen (96)
Lehkonen (62) - Kadri (91) - Burakovsky (95)
O’Connor (25) - Sturm (78) - Compher (37)
Cogliano (11) - Helm (43) - Aube-Kubel (16)

Toews (7) - Makar (8)
J. Johnson (3) - Manson (42)
MacDermid (56) - E. Johnson (6)

Kuemper (35)
Francouz (39)

Injury Report:

Lehkonen (immigration) - QUESTIONABLE
Byram (head) - DOUBTFUL
Girard (lower body) - OUT
Landeskog (knee) - OUT
Murray (hand) - OUT

Philadelphia Flyers (20-32-11) (51 pts):

It’s never easy saying goodbye to longtime faces of an organization, and like the Avalanche after the Matt Duchene trade, the Philadelphia Flyers are taking their first steps since the organization traded organizational legend Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers last Saturday. With that trade, (as well as the plethora of injuries to familiar faces), the Flyers will be icing some unfamiliar faces. The club will be heavily reliant on the likes of Cam Atkinson, Joel Farabee, and Travis Konecny to carry the offense with all the roster turnover. Goaltender Carter Hart will start for the Flyers, after backup netminder Martin Jones backstopped the club to a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center Thursday evening.

Projected Lines:

van Riemsdyk (25) - Farabee (86) - Atkinson (89)
Willman (71) - Hayes (13) - Konecny (11)
Hodgson (42) - Frost (48) - Tippett (74)
Brown (38) - MacEwan (17)

Provorov (9) - York (45)
Sanheim (6) - Ristolainen (70)
Yandle (3) - Seeler (24)
Connauton (8)

Hart (79)
Jones (35)

Injury Report:

Lindblom (undisclosed) - QUESTIONABLE
Couturier (back) - OUT
Ellis (lower body) - OUT
Laughton (concussion) - OUT
Thompson (shoulder) OUT

Game Notes:

• (COL) — Artturi Lehkonen, who was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, is hopefully going to be in the lineup for the Avalanche, after missing Wednesday’s contest while awaiting the completion of his immigration paperwork. He’ll skate on the second line with Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky, and should be in line for time on both special teams units.
• (PHI) — Carter Hart will start between the pipes for the Flyers, after Martin Jones backstopped the Flyers to a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues Thursday night.
• (PHI) — Former Avalanche Defenseman Kevin Connauton will be in the lineup for the Flyers, operating as the seventh Defenseman in their lineup.