Rantanen Game-Time Decision, Wilson Could Fill In

The Colorado Avalanche's top line might look completely different than what it was just one week ago.
Last Tuesday in Vancouver, Nathan MacKinnon was fresh off his second NHL All-Star Game appearance and was centering one of the most dominant combinations in the league this season with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. Landeskog might be the only forward remaining of that trio when the Avs host the San Jose Sharks tonight at Pepsi Center.

MacKinnon suffered an upper-body injury in that contest at the Vancouver Canucks and is out two-to-four weeks, and Rantanen missed Monday's practice and today's morning skate with a lower-body injury. Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said Rantanen will be a game-time decision.
"Every team goes through injuries, high profile guys. It is what it is. You have to find a way to win without them," Bednar said. "We're in a spot here, we're in a race trying to stay in the playoffs and getting to the playoffs. The division is so tight, the conference is tight, every point matters. No one is going to feel sorry for us coming into this thing. We're going to need to find a way for other guys to step up. We've done it time and time again through injuries this year, and now we need some guys to fill in some spots and try to keep producing some goals to win."

If Rantanen can't play, it will be the first game that he's missed all season as he and Blake Comeau are the only two Avalanche players who have suited up in all 51 contests so far. Taking Rantanen's spot would be Colin Wilson, who practiced on Monday with the team's new top trio that includes Landeskog and rookie Alex Kerfoot.
Kerfoot filled in for MacKinnon almost immediately after the Avs' star center left with 6:04 remaining in the second period of that game versus the Canucks, one that Colorado lost in overtime.
"We got enough depth on this team to fill those shoes, even though Mikko and Nate have had some great seasons so far," Landeskog said. "I know Kerf is Kerf. He's a smart player that will make things happen, no matter who he is playing with, and Willy has been playing real well the last couple months. We'll be good. As a group, we just have to realize where we're at and how important these two points are at home."
Wilson had been playing with rookies J.T. Compher and Tyson Jost recently, and Nail Yakupov will likely take that spot if Wilson moves up. Yakupov was on that line during Monday's practice.
MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog rank 1-2-3 in team scoring, and the trio had combined for 55 goals, 75 assists and 130 points in 39 games after being put together on Oct. 28. They had been involved in 55 percent (85-of-159) of Colorado's total goals before MacKinnon missed his first full game last Thursday in Edmonton.
"It's different, but sometimes different can be good," Landeskog said of his possible new line. "I feel good with where our line is at and what we can do. I've got a couple games under my belt with Kerf now, and Willy, I played with earlier in the season. I feel good about it. It's obviously different without Nate, he brings so much speed and is so good through the neutral zone. He'll make things happen. He'll attack defensemen. Kerf is more of a give-and-go-type player, and Willy will make the small plays and hard plays and get in on the forecheck and things like that."

The Sharks will present another tough challenge for the Avalanche this evening as the team from Northern California is on its last stop of a five-game road trip. San Jose has won its last two contests and nearly came back from a four-goal deficit to beat Colorado when the two clubs last met on Jan. 18 in Denver. The Avalanche held on for the 5-3 win in that outing after former Shark Matt Nieto scored an insurance goal late.
The Avs will be lacking some of the offensive talent that they had at their disposal in that game, but defenseman Erik Johnson noted that doesn't matter as much if the effort and the hard work is there every shift.
"Throughout the course of the year, we've found ways to outwork teams, and I think that's our biggest strength," Johnson said. "We've been outworking teams, coming out hard, especially at home. We lose a little offensive firepower, but it is time for other guys to step up and pick up the slack. It's a good opportunity for the guys that haven't had a lot of ice time to jump into the top-six roles and be those guys. It's a good opportunity for those guys, and hopefully we can show that we're more than just two guys."

Tonight's matchup is the second and final one in Denver between the two Western Conference squads that are separated by four points in the standings. The Sharks have the edge in the rankings, but the Avalanche has a game in hand and presently owns the first tiebreaker (regulation and overtime wins, 27-25).
"We need to pick up as many points as we can because we don't want to be a team that is on the outside looking in," Johnson said. "We want to be a team that is in the hunt and is making a run for the playoffs. Every game is of the utmost importance, and we're going to treat it like that."
The teams close their series in San Jose on April 5 in the penultimate game of the season.

RARE HOME GAME

While the Avalanche's league-long 10-game winning streak ended two weeks ago, its home winning streak is still alive.
Colorado has won eight straight contests at Pepsi Center, dating back to Dec. 29, and will play its first contest in its friendly confines since Jan. 20 this evening. Only the Washington Capitals' 10-game home win streak (Dec. 2 to Jan. 9) has been longer this season in the NHL.
"It was a while ago," Landeskog said of this team's last game at home. "I almost forgot the code to the garage. It's good to be back. It's a lot of fun to be back.
"It's an important game for us, to come back here at home and make sure that we establish our game here at home again before we head back out on the road. We got to take care of business."
After tonight, the Avalanche goes out for another three-game road trip. It is in a stretch of playing 13-of-16 away from Pepsi Center and has three, one-game homestays before its next significant stretch in Colorado.
"We've been good at home all year long, so I don't anticipate us changing a whole lot," Johnson said. "It would be nice to continue the way we've been going. We need to pick up all the points we can at home because we play a lot of games on the road coming up."
The Avs are 18-7-1 at home this season with 37 points, tied for the ninth most in the NHL.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Gabriel Landeskog - Alexander Kerfoot - Colin Wilson/Mikko Rantanen*
J.T. Compher - Tyson Jost - Nail Yakupov
Matt Nieto - Carl Soderberg - Blake Comeau
Gabriel Bourque - Dominic Toninato - A.J. Greer
Nikita Zadorov - Erik Johnson
Samuel Girard - Patrik Nemeth
Anton Lindholm - Tyson Barrie
Jonathan Bernier
Semyon Varlamov
*Game-time decision