As the homestand continues, the Colorado Avalanche welcome in a formidable foe as the LA Kings are also trying to secure the second seed in their division and have been the only team hotter than Colorado. The two teams will meet again before the end of the regular season, making for an interesting mini playoff matchup. Colorado took their first meeting 4-2 back in November and will look to repeat those results.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche hoping to sweep another homestand are expecting to put out largely the same lineup as the one that beat Detroit a couple nights ago. Erik Johnson was a participant at morning skate but is not ready to draw back into the lineup on the blueline. Joel Kiviranta, who has a lower-body injury will be replaced by Miles Wood.

Projected Lineup

Drouin – MacKinnon – Nichushkin

Lehkonen – Nelson – Necas

Wood – Coyle – Colton

Kelly – Drury – O’Connor

Toews – Makar

Girard – Middleton

Lindgren – Malinski

LA Kings

The Kings have quietly had a surge of late going 9-1-0 in their last 10 games and have overtaken the Edmonton Oilers for second in the Pacific division. Mixing youth with veterans has been the winning formula for the Kings who are also receiving solid goaltending from old friend Darcy Kuemper.

Projected Lineup

Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe

Foegele – Danault – Moore

Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere

Jeannot – Helenius – Lewis

Anderson – Doughty

Gavrikov – Spence

Edmundson – Clarke

Goaltenders

Both starters are expected to take the net for this national tv affair, meaning Darcy Kuemper for the Kings and MacKenzie Blackwood for the Avalanche.