Penguins At Avalanche Preview: Game Notes, Lineups, And More
The Pittsburgh Penguins will begin a three-game Western road swing on Tuesday when they take on the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver.
And it will be the first time Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon will face each other since playing together at the 4 Nations Face-off for Team Canada.
"I'm sure that was a thrill for both of them," said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, who coached Team USA at 4 Nations. "They're two of the most exciting players in the game, and they're fierce competitors. So, it's always exciting that we have generational talents like Sid and Nate that have an opportunity to play against one another.
"And - just given the relationship that they have, as close as they are off the ice - I'm sure they also have a competitive spirit that they want to get the best of each other. And that's part of the competitive spirit that makes them what they are."
"I'm no different from any other fan. I like watching them play against each other."Bednar's quote and more to gear up for tonight's matchup against the Pens:https://t.co/G4Ats5OUHS
— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) March 4, 2025
Crosby and MacKinnon combined for five goals and nine points in four games at the 4 Nations Face-off, and both are having great years for their respective teams. They are each also approaching key milestones in their NHL careers:
- Crosby has 65 points in 61 games played this season and needs just 15 more points to secure his 20th consecutive point-per-game season, which would break Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 19. - MacKinnon enters Tuesday just 10 points shy of 1,000 points for his NHL career.
"Anytime you see guys up close and how hard they work - and how much they put into it - you want to see them get rewarded," Crosby said of MacKinnon. "He's somebody that's continued to want to get better every single year. He cares a lot, and it's good for him to be rewarded.
"I mean, he's produced at a pretty incredible pace here over the last number of years, and to be 10 away... yeah, I'm sure he's pretty happy about that."
The Penguins have recalled goaltender Tristan Jarry from the @WBSPenguins (AHL). Goaltender Joel Blomqvist has been re-assigned to WBS. pic.twitter.com/LPH7p1cpc3
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 3, 2025
In other news, the Penguins will start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic in the wake of some changes at the NHL level for the position. Goaltender Tristan Jarry was recalled Monday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - and rookie Joel Blomqvist was re-assigned to WBS.
Also, defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok - claimed off waivers by the Penguins from the Utah Hockey Club on Feb. 9 - appears to finally be getting a crack at the lineup. He skated on the third pairing with Vincent Desharnais at practice on Wednesday morning, and the Penguins are eager to see what the 23-year-old defenseman can bring to the table.
The Penguins have claimed defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok from the Utah Hockey Club.Kolyachonok is signed through the 2025.26 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.Details: https://t.co/HVbbqn7WPo pic.twitter.com/X7Ae2MNnmS
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 9, 2025
"He appears to be a pretty good puck mover," Sullivan said. "I think he can help us there. He's got good size, he skates pretty well... I think he has a better understanding now of how we're trying to play from a tactical standpoint. We feel more comfortable with where he's at with respect to that.
"We think he's a young player that has potential here. We've liked what we've seen. The challenge is that we haven't had a lot of practices, so it's not like we've had an opportunity to see him multiple times in a game-like environment. But we like what we've seen from Vlad so far."
Here is the rest of the Penguins projected lineup for Tuesday's game:
#LetsGoPens lines and D-pairs at morning skate in Denver:Rakell-Crosby-RustBeauvillier-Malkin-TomasinoHeinen-Hayes-BemstromLizotte-Glass-AcciariShea-LetangGrzelcyk-KarlssonKolyachonok-Desharnais(Imama-Graves)
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) March 4, 2025
Colorado won the first matchup between the two teams this season, 6-2, on Dec. 10. The Penguins have won six of their last 10 games against the Avalanche, and they have scored four or more goals in six of those 10 as well.
The Avalanche are currently in the first wild card spot in the West, and they are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They've won their last two games against the New Jersey Devils and the Minnesota Wild, outscoring their opponents 10-3 in those games.
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Peterka has scored 2.25 points per 60 at five-on-five over the last two seasons, which ranks 19th among all NHL wingers (minimum 1,000 minutes). He has defensive flaws but is young enough still that those may improve with increased experience and maturity. Peterka will be in high demand if available, meaning the biggest question mark isn't fit-related but rather acquisition cost-related. Do the Canucks have the trade chips that would put them over the top in a bidding war? The Canucks will be missing a pure top-six goal scorer if Brock Boeser walks in free agency. Could Marchessault replace some of that scoring at a reasonable $5.5 million cap hit? Marchessault carries some risk because he's 34, undersized at 5-foot-9 (although he's a fiery, hard-nosed competitor), and is signed through the 2028-29 season. His production fell to 21 goals and 56 points this season, but that's not too shabby considering how anemic the Predators were offensively this year. It's even more respectable when you remember that Marchessault hasn't had a true top-six playmaking centre to play with in Nashville. Overall, Marchessault has remained productive through his early 30s. He scored 42 goals in 2023-24 and won the Conn Smythe the year prior in 2023. The Canucks should consider kicking tires on him if the acquisition cost is discounted, though they'll need to avoid landing on the 15-team no-trade list he's contractually entitled to. Advertisement A right-handed centreman who contributes in every area of the game, J.G. Pageau has been a high-end third-line centre across the past decade. Now 32-years-old, there are some signs of slippage in Pageau's game — his skating speed, notably, fell off somewhat relative to his career norms this past season — but he still produced over 40 points this past season, while contributing effectively shorthanded and on the power play. He's also a genuine ace face-off winner in the circle. Pageau only has one-year remaining on his current contract, and a 16-team no-trade list. If he were willing to come to Vancouver, he'd bring a ton of credibility, utility and experience to the Canucks' forward group, even if he isn't really the 'top-two line centre' that Vancouver would ideally identify and acquire this summer. St. Louis Blues centre Brayden Schenn was shopped ahead of the NHL trade deadline, but remained with the Blues and was a productive part of their stunning second-half run to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Entering an offseason in which Schenn will turn 34, the tough-as-nails, one-shot scoring pivot will see his full no-trade clause become a 15-team limited no-trade clause on July 1. There's risk associated with a potential Schenn acquisition, given his age and the term remaining on his $6.5 million (AAV) contract which won't expire until after the 2027-28 campaign. Schenn, however, is an assertive physical presence and a top notch leader in the locker room, traits that the Canucks might understandably prioritize after what happened last season. Beyond Schenn's goal scoring touch and physical, pugnacious style of play; Schenn would potentially offer some sneaky value to a Canadian franchise acquiring him this summer. Schenn's current contract was heavily front loaded, so while his cap hit reads $6.5 million across the next three seasons, the actual compensation he's due over the next three seasons averages south of $5 million per year. With the salary cap set to explode in the years ahead, adding the more affordable years of Schenn's contract might help free up an internal budget team — which the Canucks haven't traditionally been, at least not when it comes to spending on player personnel outside of the pandemic-impacted seasons — continue to spend to the upper limit of the salary cap, even as that becomes a more expensive prospect in the years to come. Advertisement Even at 33, Rust is showing zero signs of slowing down as a first-line winger. Rust is an excellent skater, a tenacious puck retriever, and a prolific scorer. He produced 31 goals and 65 points in 71 games this season and 28 goals in 62 games in 2023-24. Rust is dependable at both ends of the rink, a high character, low maintenance personality, and, of course, Rutherford has a long history with him. He has three years left on an affordable $5.125 million cap hit. Rust's no-movement clause will expire on July 1, and the rebuilding Penguins could look to cash in on the veteran winger's value. He would be a terrific on-ice fit for the Canucks, but there's a risk that you'd be buying too high on an older, oft-injured player who's coming off a season where his 16.2 percent shooting clip was above his career norms and could modestly regress. A big bodied middle-six forward capable of playing all three forward positions, Morgan Geekie exploded for 33-goals this past season. While Geekie has provided the Boston Bruins with a spectacular level of surplus value over the past two seasons, his success in his platform year may make it complicated for the Bruins to retain him. As productive as Geekie was this past season, he's still a more credible fit in the middle of the lineup than at the top of it. And yet, as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, the Bruins may be careful about tendering Geekie a qualifying offer this summer. While these types of dynamics can cause a player to become available on the trade market, it's not a profile that the Canucks have been hesitant about gambling on under Allvin and Rutherford's leadership. Both Ethan Bear and Filip Hronek were somewhat similarly positioned when the club dealt for them over the past few years. Järnkrok is more of a versatile bottom-six utility player than a top-six solution, but he could be an interesting buy-low candidate on a cheap $2.1 million AAV. The 33-year-old struggled in the playoffs returning from injury, but he's been an underrated third-liner throughout his career because of his two-way IQ and consistent secondary scoring. Advertisement Zacha isn't a perfect player, nor is he a flashy solution, but he possesses attributes that would appeal to the Canucks. The 28-year-old owns a large 6-foot-3 frame, has averaged 54 points per season over three years in Boston, and has recently evolved into an above-average face-off man. Zacha has plenty of experience soaking up difficult top-six matchups. He has two years left at an affordable $4.75 million AAV and could be realistically available as the Bruins enter a rebuild. Zacha is a slightly below-average two-way play driver. However, the bigger concern is whether his production in Boston has been inflated somewhat by playing alongside David Pastrnak. Zacha has been stapled to Pastrnak's line for most of the last three years, and the Canucks don't have a superstar winger of that calibre for him to play with in Vancouver. Erik Haula, 34, has proven to be a versatile, preternaturally confident, swift skating middle-six forward across a 750 game NHL career. Entering the final year of his three-year contract with the New Jersey Devils, Haula's full no-trade protection will convert to a six-team no-trade clause on July 1. Relatively speaking, the Devils aren't flush with salary cap space this summer, and may ultimately consider shedding some salary if they decide to pursue star-level talent in free agency or on the NHL trade market. Depending on how the dominoes fall, Haula's $3.15 million cap hit and diminishing trade protection could cause him to shake loose at a cut rate price on the trade market. Especially given that Haula is coming off of a disappointing 11-goal, 21-point season. A few years ago Trevor Zegras, a versatile, charismatic 24-year-old forward with absurd puck skills and the creative flair of a true showman, appeared to be on his way to being one of the next faces of the NHL. Advertisement Stalled development, however, contentious contract talks and a couple of difficult injuries — a torn meniscus in Zegras' knee that required surgery to repair, and a broken ankle the prior season — has altered Zegras' trajectory, and the industry perception that surrounds him. In the blink of an eye, Zegras has gone from an EA Sports cover boy to a distressed asset. As a potential trade target, Zegras possesses the ultimate boom-bust profile. He is, as it stands, an immensely skilled but imperfect NHL-level player. Undeniably, the risk for whatever team swing the bat and attempts to acquire Zegras is significant. His defensive details are genuinely lacking, his lack of progress in the face-off circle makes him a probable winger over the long-term, and his overall skating burst looked somewhat diminished last season in the wake of a pair of serious lower-body injuries. The upside on Zegras, however, is also enormous. His skill level and creativity as an offensive force leaps right off of the ice, and it's genuinely special that at a precocious age, his age-21 and 22 seasons, Zegras was a two-time 60-plus point forward. More than that, Zegras was a solidly consistent five-on-five play driver as a young forward, which is very rare for any NHL player at that age. Given that Zegras' flaws are sure to be priced into his acquisition price, pursuing him on the trade market seems like a straightforward gamble on an extraordinarily gifted young man maturing in his mid-20s. That feels like precisely the sort of bet that a Canucks team in need of adding elite skill above all else this summer should consider strongly. (Top photo of Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
