Morning Skate Report: Avs Aim To Bring Momentum Into Game vs. Ottawa

After a strong showing in its last outing despite the loss, the Colorado Avalanche looks to carry momentum from that game into tonight's contest against the Ottawa Senators at Pepsi Center.
"I think our guys are excited to play tonight for multiple reasons," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said after morning skate. "We played a good game the other night against Tampa and didn't get anything to show for it. It's another big home game for us. It's the end of a busy stretch for us. We know we are going in to play a rested Minny tomorrow, so it's a big game for us tonight."

The outing marks the end of a two-game homestand for the Avs, who fell 1-0 on Wednesday to the Tampa Bay Lightning to open the home stay. The loss snapped Colorado's three-game win streak and six-game point streak (4-0-2).
The Avalanche is 2-1-1 at home this season and 20-5-2 in the club's last 27 regular-season games at Pepsi Center.
"I think we have kind of established that we are a hard team to play against at home. I thought we played well against Tampa," said defenseman Tyson Barrie. "They got the late power-play goal, but the building was a lot of fun on Wednesday. This is a great place to play so it shouldn't be a problem for us to get up for this one."

The game against Tampa was the fifth time in 10 games, and third outing in a row, that the Avalanche has given up exactly one goal.
Colorado has allowed a league-low 2.00 goals-per-game, surrendering 20 tallies through the first 10 contests of the campaign, tied for the third-fewest in Avalanche history.
"I think a good defensive mindset is crucial," said Barrie. "There is so much talent in this league, and if you get caught sniffing on offense you are going to get burned pretty quick. We just got to stay focused defensively. Try and let them make the mistakes and then capitalize when we can."
Colorado's strong play in limiting its opposition's chances has also led to more scoring opportunities. The Avalanche is tied for the league lead with a plus-12 goal differential.
"We were talking about that, when we play good defense, I think it translates to good offense," said Patrik Nemeth. "We get in and out of our zone quick and that way you can focus more on the offensive side of it."

GRUBAUER'S FIRST START AT PEPSI CENTER

Goaltender Philipp Grubauer will be between the pipes this evening for his fourth game of the season, but his first in front of the home fans.
The Russian netminder made his first three starts as an Av on the road after he was acquired from the Washington Capitals during the summer. He owns a 2-1-0 record this campaign with a .925 save percentage and 2.68 goals-against average.
His last outing was on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena where he made a career-high 42 saves in a 3-1 victory.
"Grubi is a great goalie and we will play our same game as we always try to play," said Barrie. "It's nice to have him and Varly as a tandem back there, and I am sure he is excited to get his first start here on home ice."
Grubauer has played four career games against Ottawa, going 2-2-0 with a .940 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against average.

MIXING UP THE FORWARD COMBINATIONS

After being a healthy scratch the last two games, Vladislav Kamenev will be back in Colorado's lineup for the contest. He will center a line with Tyson Jost and Colin Wilson, and Gabriel Bourque will be the Avalanche's healthy scratch among the forward group.
The newest member of the Avalanche, Marko Dano, will move to a trio with Sven Andrighetto and Alex Kerfoot, while the other two lines will remain the same.
"We are looking for chemistry," Bednar said. "The secondary scoring hasn't been there over the last handful of games… I think we are still in the experimental stage of just trying to find another line that can help us produce. We will move things around until we find a fit."

View: Avalanche vs. Senators Projected Lineup

FIRST HALF OF BACK-TO-BACK

After the game against Ottawa tonight, the Avalanche will hit the road to face the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul tomorrow evening.
The two contests will wrap up a stretch of the season that has Colorado playing seven games in 12 days. Because of the busy schedule, the team has implemented more optional skates to help the squad stay fresh.
"It's more the preparation, there was an optional yesterday and today as well," Nemeth said of playing two games in two days. "When you get into the game, you focus on getting two points."
It is the first back-to-back of the season for the Avs. The team is scheduled to play 11 of these sets in 2018-19. Colorado also played 11 last year, finishing 5-3-3 in the first game and 3-8-0 in the second.