[7:00 PM] Avalanche @ Penguins

Who will WIN this matchup?

Colorado Avalanche (1-0-0)

@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2-0-0)

 

Starting Goalies:

Calvin Pickard (COL): Confirmed

Marc-Andre Fleury(PIT): Confirmed

 

Current odds:

Colorado Avalanche: (+160)

Pittsburgh Penguins: (-180)

 

• The Colorado Avalanche will need to clamp down defensively when they begin their four-game road trip Monday against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Colorado waited until Saturday to kick off its season and outlasted Dallas 6-5 at home as Joe Colborne registered his first career hat trick in his debut with the team.

• Colorado received plenty of offense from its blue line on Saturday as five of its six defensemen combined to register a goal and seven points, with Tyson Barrie netting the tally and adding an assist. The outburst by Colborne, who needed 10 games to reach the three-goal mark last season, helped make Jared Bednar’s NHL coaching debut a successful one.

• Chris Kunitz became the 18th player to appear in 500 games with Pittsburgh in Saturday’s victory, notching an assist for his first point of the season. The 37-year-old left wing has registered 160 of his 241 career goals and 360 of his 552 points with the Penguins. Defenseman Ian Cole, who failed to score a goal in 70 games last season, tallied on Saturday for the first time since March 26, 2015 at Carolina.

• The Avalanche will start Calvin Pickard in net on Monday while Semyon Varlamov will face Washington the following night.

• Colorado went 2-for-3 on the power play on Saturday while Pittsburgh has converted two of its five opportunities over its first two games.

• Eleven of Colorado’s 18 skaters recorded a point in the opener while only three failed to register a shot on goal.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

Confidence: 6/10

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