Ducks vs. Avalanche GAMETHREAD: Wait Didn't We Just Do This?

Game #48

Anaheim Ducks vs. Colorado Avalanche

Thursday, January 19th, 2016 7:00 PM PST

Honda Center

TV: PRIME

Radio: AM 830, AnaheimDucks.com

Your Enemy: Mile High Hockey

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/Yawns

/Rubs eyes

/Look around groggily

Huh? What? Oh yeah, preview and gamethread.

Sorry we're still a little hungover from the non-stop, two day party celebrating Rickard Rakell's OT goal on Tuesday.

Anyway...

The Ducks host the Colorado Avalanche tonight for the second time in the past week. Last time, the Ducks went home with a convincing 4-1 victory over a, shall we say, sub-par Avs?

Games against Colorado are always heavy, physical, grinding affairs (pour one out for Despres). Even with the Avs playing as terribly as they are, they are not a team the Ducks should take lightly. Games like this can sometimes be trap games for the Ducks who get complacent with their recent winning ways and phone it in against a bad team.

The Avalanche will be without their number one goaltender in Semyon Varlamov for tonight and through the All-Star break with a groin issue. Calvin Pickard will get the start with recently-recalled AHL goalie Spencer Martin serving as backup. Pickard will be making his first career start against the Ducks.

Meanwhile, John Gibson will unsurprisingly be getting the nod again. Gibson has arguably been the hottest goalie in the NHL since Christmas. Fun fact: Gibby now has a higher SV% on the season than Carey Price (.921 vs. .920). Gibson = best goalie on the planet, confirmed (fight me irl Daniel).

Stat Pack

Projected Lines

Anaheim:

Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry

Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg

Ritchie-Vermette-Kase

Cramarossa-Noesen-Shaw

Fowler-Vatanen

Lindholm-Manson

Holzer-Bieksa

Gibson

Bernier

Colorado:

Bourque-MacKinnon-Rantanen

Landeskog-Duchene-Nieto

Griforenko-Soderberg-Iginla

Colborne-Mitchell-Comeau

Zadorov-Barrie

Beauchemin-Goloubef

Gelinas-Tyutin

Pickard

Martin

Numbers For Nerds

The Ducks seem to have swapped special teams competencies in the last few weeks. What was once the league's 2nd best power play is now the 10th best. What was once the league's 28th ranked penalty kill is now the league's 10th best as well.

I know that's not really nerdy as far as number go but even the biggest stat geeks need a break now and then. I'll have much more fun numbers next time, I promise.