Valeri Nichushkin was taken in the first round (No. 10 overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars and played four seasons with the franchise… Avalanche forward Logan O'Connor was born in Missouri City, Texas... Stars forward Blake Comeau played for Colorado from 2015-2018… Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop was born in Denver.
HISTORY
The Avalanche holds a 69-53-23 all-time mark against Dallas in the regular season, with a 46-35-19 record since moving to Denver in 1995. MacKinnon has 30 points (10 goals and 20 assists) in 31 career regular-season games against Dallas, the most he's tallied against a single opponent.
ROSTER REPORT
Kurtis MacDermid rejoins the starting lineup, his last appearance was in the home contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 3.
Nathan MacKinnon, Bowen Byram, Martin Kaut and Pavel Francouz continue to be out, but have all been present at recent practices. MacKinnon, Byram and Kaut all skating in red, non-contact jerseys.
INJURY REPORT
Nathan MacKinnon is expected to join the team on their two-week road trip at the beginning of December, after being out with a lower-body injury for the past three weeks. J.T. Compher continues to be out for an upper-body injury. Stefan Matteau is still out after sustaining a lower-body injury on Oct. 16. Bowen Byram is under concussion protocol and will continue to be evaluated. Both Martin Kaut and Pavel Francouz are considered week-to-week.
SCOUTING THE STARS
The Stars are now 8-7-2, and won their fourth straight home game, coming off of a 4-1 win over the Oilers at home on Tuesday. This marks the first of three contests between the two clubs and one of two at American Airlines Center. The Stars are riding a four-game winning streak against the Avs and have victories in five of their past six against them overall (5-1-0).
(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: Miro Heiskanen
Defenseman Miro Heiskanen continues to build his Norris Trophy resume, with the Stars' 4-1 win over the Oilers on Tuesday. Heiskanen picked up another assist Tuesday night - his 14th point in 17 games to lead the Stars in scoring.
Heiskanen was taken third overall in the 2017 draft, a year that's becoming known for producing skilled defensive players. The fourth overall pick that year was Cale Makar, who has become one of Colorado's best players overall.
NUMBERS GAME
194
Jared Bednar now has the most coaching wins in Avalanche history with 194. Bednar passes Bob Hartley on the list after Wednesday night's win against Anaheim.
7
Colorado is 7-0-0 this season with Valeri Nichushkin in the lineup.
36
The Avs are on a six game win streak where they have outscored their opponents 36-15.
NOTEBOOK
Jared Bednar passes Bob Hartley on the franchise wins leaderboard and now is the winningest coach in Avalanche history… Nazem Kadri extends his point streak to 10 games (6 goals, 15 assists), setting a new career high streak… Kadri also extends his career-long assist streak to eight games… Nazem Kadri records his 450th career point… Colorado is 7-0-0 this season with Nichushkin in the lineup.
