The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off a monstrous win over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night.
They played a horrendous first 30 minutes and were down 2-0 late in the second period before rallying to win 4-3. The win snapped the Penguins’ two-game losing streak and kept them in second place in the Metropolitan Division.
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The Penguins will try to make it two wins in a row on Monday night when they play the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are in first place in the Central Division with a 44-12-9 record, good for 97 points. They have won seven of their last 10 games and have only lost in regulation five times at home this year.
Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best players on the planet and is having another outstanding season, compiling 44 goals and 109 points in 64 games. He does it all, and once he gets a burst of speed, it’s usually game over.
Martin Necas is second on the team in goals (31) and points (80). He has been a perfect fit for the Avalanche since they acquired him last season.
Cale Makar is elite on the backend for the Avalanche, racking up 19 goals and 67 points in 65 games this year. He’s hit the 90-point mark for two seasons in a row and is trying to make it three this year.
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This is also an Avalanche team that is very deep at center. They can run MacKinnon-Nelson-Kadri down the middle for their first three lines.
Scott Wedgewood will start in goal for the Avalanche. He has a 25-4-5 record to go along with a .918 save percentage.
The Penguins will get Evgeni Malkin back from his five-game suspension and Justin Brazeau back from injury. They both took line rushes during the morning skate.
Sidney Crosby participated in the skate, but didn’t take line rushes, meaning he will likely still be out for this game. Blake Lizotte will also be out with an upper-body injury.
Here’s the projected lineup:
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Forwards
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Mantha-Rakell-Rust
Koivunen-Kindel-Brazeau
Soderblom-Dewar-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Shea-Letang
Solovyov-Clifton
Arturs Silovs will start in goal for the Penguins after Stuart Skinner started against the Mammoth.
Puck drop is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and ESPN. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 ‘The X.’
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