Avalanche at Oilers
The Colorado Avalanche are battling through injuries and suspensions to keep their heads above water in the Western Conference playoff race. The Avalanche get captain Gabriel Landeskog back, but could be without their top two scorers when they go after a fifth victory in six games Sunday against the host Edmonton Oilers.
Colorado leads Minnesota by one point for the second wild-card spot in the West after a come-from-behind 4-3 shootout win at Calgary on Friday. The Avalanche leading scorer Matt Duchene (knee) was held out and Nathan MacKinnon suffered a knee injury in Friday’s contest while Landeskog was sitting for the third contest of a three-game suspension because of an illegal hit against Anaheim's Simon Despres on March 9. Edmonton poses a challenge for the Avalanche after winning its last two - a 6-4 offensive explosion against St. Louis and a 40-save shutout by Cam Talbot in a 2-0 triumph versus Vancouver on Friday. However, the Oilers have dropped both meetings with Colorado this season by a combined 8-3 score.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), Sportsnet 1 (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (37-31-4): The return of Landeskog (46 points) gives Colorado a boost and forward Mikko Rantanen was recalled with Duchene (56 points) and MacKinnon (52) questionable. Defenseman Eric Gelinas (elbow) also left the last game and is out indefinitely while fellow trade-deadline pickup Mikael Boedker, who had the shootout winner Friday, posted three goals and three assists in eight games since being acquired from Arizona. Semyon Varlamov allowed eight goals total in five straight starts, but Calvin Pickard could get the call Sunday.
ABOUT THE OILERS (29-38-7): Talbot, who has 11 shutouts in 100 career starts, has won three of his past four outings and is one shy of his second straight 20-victory season. “If there’s a mistake it’s not always in the back of your net,” Edmonton forward Jordan Eberle told reporters of Talbot. “In the latter part of the season, he’s been the hero in most of the games.” Taylor Hall leads the team with 23 goals and 58 points, but has been kept off the scoresheet in five of the last six contests while Eberle has tallied 22 times.
OVERTIME
1. Colorado RW Jarome Iginla needs one goal to pass Dino Ciccarelli (608) for 17th in NHL history and to reach 20 for the 17th time in his career.
2. Edmonton’s rookie C Connor McDavid boasts four points in the last three games and 39 in his first 37 NHL contests.
3. Avalanche D Tyson Barrie is one goal from matching his season high of 13 during the 2013-14 campaign.