NHL Game Preview - Washington at Colorado

Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:00 PM EST

The Washington Capitals have been going through the grind of the NHL schedule. They've played five games in eight nights, two on a back-to-back and are preparing for the last of their three-game road trip.

Every team goes through stretches such as these, but the Colorado Avalanche aren't dealing with fatigue -- from jet lag, not ice time.

When the Avalanche host the Capitals on Thursday night, it will be their first game in five nights and third in the last 10 days. The gap wasn't an oversight by the league; Colorado hasn't played much lately because it was in Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series.

Things didn't go great for Colorado, losing twice to Ottawa -- once in overtime -- but there were mitigating circumstances. As the Avalanche played their last game before heading over, center Matt Duchene was traded to the Senators in a three-way deal that netted them seven players or draft picks.

The already young Colorado team got younger. The key players acquired were Russian forward Vladislav Kamenev, 21, and defenseman Sam Girard, 19. Girard played in both games in Sweden and Kamenev is expected to make his Avalanche debut against Washington.

Girard was thrust into action. He logged 21:55 of ice time in his debut, a 4-3 overtime loss last Friday. He had an assist and drew praise from his new captain.

"To be honest with you I thought he was the best player on the ice," captain and Stockholm native Gabriel Landeskog told Altitude TV after the game. "He was solid; it's a good start for him. I look forward to playing with him."

The Avalanche (8-7-1) will have a decision to make with Girard. If he plays in more than nine NHL games it will burn his entry level contract this year, or they can send him back to the Shawinigan Cataractes, his QMJHL team. His ninth game is Saturday at Nashville, the team that just dealt him, and if he plays beyond that he will stick with Colorado.

Kamenev had four assists in four games with San Antonio of the AHL before being recalled this week. Colorado assigned forwards A.J. Greer and Rocco Grimaldi to San Antonio.

The Capitals (10-8-1) are probably looking forward to get over Tuesday's 6-3 loss at Nashville in which goaltender Braden Holtby victimized for all six goals. It spoiled the return of defenseman Matt Niskanen. Niskanen missed 13 games after injuring his left thumb in the fifth game of the season.

"Things were moving fast for me in the first period," Niskanen told The Washington Post. "I think it took me at least three or four shifts five-on-five to kind of get my feel back. ... I thought after the first, I got much better. My legs felt good, my injury felt good and it was good to be back out there."

Niskanen's return coincided with the loss of rookie defenseman Christian Djoos, who suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday and is expected to miss Thursday's game. Djoos, who has played in 16 games, will likely be replaced by Taylor Chorney.

Both teams will be trying to mesh different players while attempting to get back to winning. Colorado is 0-2-1 in its last three games while the Capitals are trying to find the formula that landed them the best record in the NHL last year.

Tuesday's game wasn't that formula, especially for Holtby. He allowed six goals on 25 shots in 40 minutes after allowing a total of six goals in 123 shots in his previous four starts.

Washington coach Barry Trotz said he probably should have pulled his goaltender sooner.

"Looking back, after the fifth one, I should've yanked him," he told The Washington Post. "He's been so good for us for so long, I kept with the long hook, if you will, and let him get through the period."