Gameday Open Thread: Avalanche at Flames (7:00 p.m.)

Oof. The Colorado Avalanche are without star Nathan MacKinnon for the foreseeable future and it all starts tonight against the Calgary Flames. While the Avs certainly aren’t completely reliant on the offensive that he brings, the proven spark of having one of the most talented players in the NHL doesn’t hurt to have in your arsenal.

On the positive side of things, we are finally seeing deadline acquisition Artturi Lehkonen in his first game wearing an Avalanche sweater. Due to a visa issue, the former Montreal Canadiens winger has had to wait on the sidelines to join his team on the ice. For his first game on his new team, he will be on the right side of J.T. Compher and Andre Burakovsky — not a bad way to start out.

Projected Lineup

Valeri Nuchushkin - Nazem Kadri - Mikko Rantanen
Andre Burakovsky - JT Compher - Artturi Lehkonen
Alex Newhook - Nico Sturm - Logan O’Connor
Andrew Cogliano - Darren Helm - Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Jack Johnson - Cale Makar
Devon Toews - Josh Manson
Erik Johnson - Kurtis MacDermid

Darcy Kuemper is your projected starter, but Pavel Francouz could also get the nod.

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