New Headline: See Lewis Hamilton Defeat Time Itself in Historic Race Against Clock!

DENVER, COLORADO - MARCH 04: Kris Letang #58 of the Pittsburgh Penguins collides with Valeri Nichushkin #13 of the Colorado Avalanche. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images The Colorado Avalanche are set to welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins this evening for a late-night, nationally televised contest at Ball Arena in downtown Denver. It hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, but Sidney Crosby was a full participant at this morning’s skate and could return to the lineup after missing time with an injury suffered during the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina in a collision with Radko Gudas.

Where to catch the game tonight ⬇️ pic. twitter. com/pNzxi2gc9X — Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 16, 2026 This also would have marked the first game against his former club for Sam Girard since the trade that sent him to Pittsburgh.

Girard, who helped Colorado capture the Stanley Cup in 2022, is expected to be in the building but not in the lineup tonight. The Avalanche are looking to rebound after dropping their last game to the Winnipeg Jets — a frustrating result against a team that has struggled to find consistency for much of the season. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has quietly climbed the Metropolitan Division standings and currently sits in second place.

Will the Penguins continue building momentum, or will the league-leading Avalanche remind them how tough it is to leave Denver with two points? Colorado Avalanche Colorado didn’t undergo the full-scale facelift we saw last season ahead of the trade deadline, but there are still a few new faces settling in after some mid-season roster maneuvering. Brett Kulak has effectively slid into the lineup following the Girard deal, while Victor Olofsson was moved as part of the package that brought Nazem Kadri back to Denver.