The Avs have won the last two games to battle back from a 3-1 series deficit and force a Game 7.
"For us, we've basically played two Game 7s already and now Dallas is going to play one, and we have to expect and predict that they're going to come out and play the best game of their series as well," said Colorado head coach Jared Bednar on Thursday.
Neither the Avalanche nor Stars had a morning skate or pregame availability today due to the 2 p.m. MT start, so the exact lineup for both teams likely won't be known until closer to game time. Today's matinee will be televised in the United States on the USA Network while Sportsnet and TVA Sports will provide coverage in Canada.
Bednar didn't disclose any lineup details on Thursday, but he did note that it is possible that some of the squad's injured players could return for Game 7.
"To be honest there is a chance, but I just don't know how probable it is at this point," said Bednar on Thursday. "We're probably not going to know until game time [on Friday] on any of those guys."
Forward Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Conor Timmins both sustained injuries in the second period of Wednesday's Game 6, with Landeskog able to return and play a shift in the third period following his leg getting cut by a skate.
Goaltender Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Erik Johnson are both out indefinitely after getting hurt in Game 1 of the Round 2 series, while forwards Matt Calvert and Joonas Donskoi and goalie Pavel Francouz have also been deemed unfit to play. Calvert could be close to returning after skating each of the past two days.
Netminder Michael Hutchinson has started the past two outings for the Avalanche and picked up wins in both to help the club stave off elimination and force a decisive seventh game. He is expected to get the start once again today.
Below is the Avalanche's projected lineup for this afternoon's contest based on the start of Game 6. The forward combinations and defensive pairings are subject to change and could be dependent on the status of Landeskog, Timmins and others.
Forwards
95 Andre Burakovsky - 29 Nathan MacKinnon - 96 Mikko Rantanen
92 Gabriel Landeskog - 91 Nazem Kadri - 13 Valeri Nichushkin
17 Tyson Jost - 37 J.T. Compher - 90 Vladislav Namestnikov
83 Matt Nieto - 41 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 25 Logan O'Connor
Defensemen
27 Ryan Graves - 8 Cale Makar
16 Nikita Zadorov - 28 Ian Cole
49 Samuel Girard - 20 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
35 Michael Hutchinson
32 Hunter Miska
Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness announced on Thursday that goaltender Anton Khudobin will start in net as Ben Bishop is unfit to play. Defenseman Stephen Johns is also still out with an injury.
Both the Avalanche and Stars are looking to avenge Game 7 losses from the second round a season ago. Colorado fell at the San Jose Sharks, while Dallas lost in double overtime to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.
"These are the opportunities where you can step up and push your career to another level," Bowness said on Thursday. "You get into these Game 7s and you come up big and your team moves on, it enhances your career. You need to want to be on the ice and want to be a factor in the outcome of the game in a positive way. Don't shy away from it, don't be nervous. It's when you have to face yourself as a man and as a professional."
Below is Dallas' projected lineup for today matchup based on the start of Wednesday's contest.
Forwards
14 Jamie Benn - 91 Tyler Seguin - 47 Alexander Radulov
13 Mattias Janmark - 16 Joe Pavelski - 34 Denis Gurianov
18 Jason Dickinson - 24 Roope Hintz - 10 Corey Perry
11 Andrew Cogliano - 12 Radek Faksa - 15 Blake Comeau
Defensemen
23 Esa Lindell - 3 John Klingberg
2 Jamie Oleksiak - 4 Miro Heiskanen
5 Andrej Sekera - 42 Taylor Fedun
Goaltenders
35 Anton Khudobin
29 Jake Oettinger
