DENVER -- Colorado Avalanche coach Patrick Roy is looking forward to seeing his Calgary Flames counterpart, Bob Hartley, when the teams meet Friday at Pepsi Center.
Roy was tending goal when Hartley coached the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2001 and the two men have maintained a close relationship.
"I have a lot of respect for Bob," Roy said Friday. "Over the past years he always said, 'Hey, call me. If you need something, I'll be there for you.' He's always been there for me. He called me when I got the [Avalanche coaching position], he called me in the summer, he called me before the start of the season. In training camp he called me. We're talking a lot.
"When the puck drops I'm focusing on our team. I can't look at him too long because he's going to take advantage of it. I just want to make sure that when the puck drops we focus on what we have to do and make sure that we get our guys going."
Avalanche rookie Nathan MacKinnon will move back to center after skating at right wing for parts of the past two games as a replacement for injured Alex Tanguay (knee) on a line with Gabriel Landeskog and Paul Stastny. Jamie McGinn will play right wing on that line, and MacKinnon will center the third line, flanked by John Mitchell and Maxime Talbot.
"It was good to give it a try but I think he's more comfortable [at center]. He needs that space to skate," Roy said. "He's so fast. I think it makes us a better team when he's at the center position. I thought he did well overall, but it's better for him to have more space to skate."
The Flames didn't skate Friday after losing 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
Here are the projected lineups for the Flames and Avalanche:
FLAMES
Lance Bouma - Matt Stajan - David Jones
Mike Cammalleri - Joe Colborne - TJ Galiardi
Tim Jackman - Sean Monahan - Jiri Hudler
Max Reinhart - Mikael Backlund - Brian McGrattan
Scratched: Sven Baertschi, Derek Smith
Injured: Christopher Breen (abdomen), Mark Giordano (ankle), Curtis Glencross (knee), Lee Stempniak (foot)
AVALANCHE
Ryan O'Reilly - Matt Duchene - PA Parenteau
Gabriel Landeskog - Paul Stastny - Jamie McGinn
John Mitchell - Nathan MacKinnon - Maxime Talbot
Cody McLeod - Marc-Andre Cliche - Patrick Bordeleau
Scratched: Matt Hunwick
Injured: Alex Tanguay (knee), Ryan Wilson (back)
NOTES: Duchene took part in the morning skate Friday and will play after missing practice Thursday because of a bruised foot. "He looked good," Roy said. "It's not a surprise for me. He's been a warrior for us since the start of the year." … Wilson is expected to miss at least two weeks after sustaining a back injury Wednesday against the Nashville Predators. "The doctor said let's wait two weeks and see where it goes from there," Roy said. Nick Holden will replace Wilson in the lineup. A natural defenseman, Holden has played one game this season, at left wing on the fourth line Nov. 1 against the Dallas Stars.
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