Eurolanche

Briere back against Rangers

Season series: The New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche split their two-game series last season. The Avalanche are 11-3-0 in the past 14 games against the Rangers and 14-4-0 in the past 18 games. The Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques are 36-35-7 all-time against the Rangers, 16-9-1 since the franchise relocated from Quebec to Denver in 1995. Rangers forward Rick Nash has 12 goals and 24 points in 34 career games against the Avalanche.

Avalanche team scope: It can't get much worse for the Avalanche, who were dominated in a 6-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday in the second of a four-game East Coast swing. The Avalanche were outshot (46-20), outhit (40-30) and outplayed in all three zones on the way to losing their fifth game in the month of November (1-4-1) and dropping into last place in the Central Division. Avalanche center Matt Duchene described the loss against the Islanders as "embarrassing" and "as ugly as it gets." Coach Patrick Roy told Denverpost.com after practice at Sky Arena at Chelsea Piers on Wednesday that he will reinsert forward Daniel Briere back into the lineup against the Rangers. Briere has missed the past seven games as a healthy scratch. Goalie Semyon Varlamov will likely get his second straight start. "I know it's frustrating for everyone who would like to see the team winning, and right now it isn't happening," Roy told Denverpost.com. "But we have to find a way out of that slump, and I don't think it's by bashing our players or screaming at our players that we're going to get out of it. This is a good group, a group that wants to win."

Rangers team scope: Defenseman Dan Boyle, who sustained a broken right hand in the first game of the season, is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said after practice Wednesday. Boyle was skating with Marc Staal during practice, according to Northjersey.com. The Rangers snapped a two-game losing streak in grand fashion with a 5-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The victory was just what the doctor ordered after losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Henrik Lundqvist, now 5-1-1 with a 1.39 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in his past seven games at MSG, made 33 saves to earn his 53rd career shutout. The Rangers received balanced scoring as Mats Zuccarello, Martin St. Louis, Kevin Klein, Derick Brassard and Nash all had goals.

-- by Mike G. Morreale for NHL.com --

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Actual Lineup

Colorado Avalanche lineup from this game