Projected Lineups for the Avalanche vs Penguins – 12/10/24

The Colorado Avalanche take on the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at PPG Paints Arena. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.

AVALANCHE (16-13-0) at PENGUINS (12-13-4)

7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, ALT, SNP, SNE, TVAS

Avalanche projected lineup

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Ross Colton — Casey Mittelstadt — Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Logan O’Connor
Givani Smith — Ivan Ivan — Chris Wagner

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton — Calvin de Haan

Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Scratched: John Ludvig

Injured: Mackenzie Blackwood (illness), Josh Manson (upper body), Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Oliver Kylington (undisclosed), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head), Miles Wood (upper body)

Status report

• Blackwood did not join the Avalanche in Pittsburgh because of an undisclosed illness. The goalie was acquired, along with Smith and a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, in a trade Monday that sent goalie Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a second-round selection in 2026 to the San Jose Sharks; Smith could make his Avalanche debut.
• Miner will back up Wedgewood after being recalled from Colorado of the American Hockey League on Monday.

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Penguins projected lineup

Rickard Rakell — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust
Drew O’Connor — Evgeni Malkin — Cody Glass
Michael Bunting — Blake Lizotte — Jesse Puljujarvi
Kevin Hayes — Noel Acciari — Anthony Beauvillier

Owen Pickering — Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson — Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves — Matt Grzelcyk

Tristan Jarry
Alex Nedeljkovic

Scratched: Matt Nieto, Ryan Shea

Injured: Philip Tomasino (upper body)

Status report:

• Tomasino will be a game-time decision; the forward practiced in a noncontact jersey Monday after missing a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

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