Projected Lineup: Avalanche vs. Sabres

Forward Vladislav Namestnikov and goaltender Michael Hutchinson will suit up in a Colorado Avalanche uniform for the first time tonight as the team takes on the Buffalo Sabres at Pepsi Center.
Where Namestnikov will fit exactly into the lineup won't be known until closer to puck drop, as the Avalanche did not hold a full-team morning skate today. Game time is set for 6 p.m. MT, and the contest will be televised nationally on NBCSN. The Avs are hosting their annual Military Appreciation Night this evening at Pepsi Center.

Namestnikov skated on a line with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Martin Kaut at Tuesday's practice. Hutchinson is the likely backup goaltender to Pavel Francouz, who is expected to make his fifth straight start in net for Colorado, tying a personal career high.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said on Tuesday that Andre Burakovsky and Matt Nieto are both doubtful to play, as both forwards are dealing with upper-body injuries. Colorado practiced with 11 healthy forwards during the day, with defenseman Mark Barberio slotting onto the fourth line for drills.
Below is the Avs' projected lineup for tonight's game versus the Sabres, based on the alignment from Tuesday's practice and with Barberio slotted in as a seventh defensemen. All forward combinations and defensive pairings could change based on Burakovsky and Nieto's availability.
Forwards
92 Gabriel Landeskog - 29 Nathan MacKinnon - 13 Valeri Nichushkin
17 Tyson Jost - 37 J.T. Compher - 72 Joonas Donskoi
90 Vladislav Namestnikov - 41 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 61 Martin Kaut
25 Logan O'Connor - 81 Vladislav Kamenev
Defensemen
28 Ian Cole - 16 Nikita Zadorov
27 Ryan Graves - 8 Cale Makar
49 Samuel Girard - 6 Erik Johnson
44 Mark Barberio
Goaltenders
39 Pavel Francouz
35 Michael Hutchinson
Injury Report: Andre Burakovsky (upper body), Matt Calvert (lower body), Philipp Grubauer (lower body), Nazem Kadri (lower body), Matt Nieto (upper body), Mikko Rantanen (upper body), Colin Wilson (lower body)