Pittsburgh Penguins At Colorado Avalanche Preview: Lineup Changes, Where To Watch

The Pittsburgh Penguins will play the second game of their four-game road trip on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche. 

The Penguins will try to bounce back after losing 5-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. They rallied to tie the game in the third period before goaltender Sergei Murashov allowed a backbreaking goal with just over four minutes left. The Blackhawks added an empty-net goal at the end of the game to seal it. 

The Penguins will face an Avalanche team coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. It was the second game of a home-and-home series between the two teams. 

As expected, the Avalanche have already lit up the scoreboard this season, scoring 31 goals in only seven games. They've scored at least six goals in three of those seven games. 

It all starts with star forward Nathan MacKinnon, who is one of the best players on the planet. Once he gets a step on you, it's game over. He already has five goals and 12 points in seven games. 

Star defenseman Cale Makar is also off to a great start, racking up three goals and seven points in six games. He's elite in all three zones and does a great job against the toughest competition night after night. 

Don't forget about Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen, Devon Toews, Gabriel Landeskog, Brock Nelson, and Jaden Schwartz, either. They've all been great to start the season for the Avs. 

As for the Penguins, head coach Dan Muse is tweaking the lineup for this game. Elmer Soderblom is set to come into the lineup, and Nick Robertson has moved into the top nine. 

Here are the expected lines and pairs, based on Thursday's practice:

Forwards

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin

Kuzmenko-Kindel-Robertson

Dewar-Lizotte-Soderblom

Defensive pairs

Carlile-Karlsson

Girard-Korczak

Stastney-Letang

Arturs Silovs will start in goal for the Penguins after having the night off against the Blackhawks.

Puck drop is set for 9 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

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