PITTSBURGH — The Avalanche’s Russians each will act as a scratch in Wednesday’s nationwide televised game against Pittsburgh.
Forward Valeri Nichushkin along with defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who both have played all five games for both 5-0 Colorado, will see the game in matches with countryman Vladislav Kamenev, the young developing forward who has yet to play this season.
“It’down s to their own performance,” Avs coach Jared Bednar stated following the morning skate. “We’re trying to put our strongest lineup at every night and assessing it every day. ”
J.T. Compher will substitute Nichushkin along with Mark Barberio will be in for Zadorov. Compher, who started the season as the third-line center, has missed the previous 3 games with a lower-body injury. He will play right wing on the third lineup against the Pens. Barberio, who had two strong showings after being scraped in the first two games in addition to Monday’s 6-3 victory at Washington, replaces Zadorov, who is on a one-year, $3.2 million contract.
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“I simply watch our D play and I think there’s some places he can improve on,” Bednar stated of Zadorov. “So we got to make a choice if I need to get Barberio back and he happens to be the man tonight. ”
Scratching Nichushkin and Zadorov, both 24, underlines the Avs’ depth. Kamenev, 23, is probably still with the Avalanche because he has to clear waivers to be relegated into the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League, along with the Avs don’t want to take that risk on a developing player.
Colorado enters the second game of its own five-game road trip as the NHL’s only undefeated team (regulation and overtime). Just the 2013-14 Avs have had a much better beginning (6-0), which the current club could match with a triumph Wednesday.
The beat-up Penguins (4-2), meanwhile, will play without forward Evgeni Malkin, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad along with Bryan Rust due to accidents. Additionally, center Jared McCann is a game-time choice, coach Mike Sullivan said.
Avalanche lineup
Forwards
Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Burakovsky-Kadri-Donskoi
Wilson-Jost-Compher
Calvert-Bellemare-Nieto
Defense
Girard-Johnson
Cole-Makar
Graves-Barberio
In goal
Grubauer
Francouz
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