Maybe it's because of missing steady injured defenseman Hampus Lindholm. Or it could be less than stellar goaltending. But Anaheim has been hemorrhaging defensively allowing an average of 4.6 goals during their last five games. 
Colorado has the offensive talent to take advantage especially with Nathan MacKinnon back in top form following an upper-body injury. The Avalanche have won three in a row firing off 133 shots on goal during this three-game win streak. However, they have only eight goals to show for it having come across some strong goaltending. That won't be the case here, not with how bad the Ducks have been defensively. 
The Avalanche won't be letting up either after blowing a two-goal lead when the teams last met 10 days ago in Denver. The Ducks pulled out a 5-4 overtime victory in that game.
The Ducks have scored just two goals in their last three games - and that was playing the Kings and defensively-challenged Sharks twice. Trade rumors are swirling around the team. So I expect the Ducks to throw caution to the wind in this matchup knowing they can't stay competitive like they were during the first 1 1/2 months of the season by relying on defense and playing conservative. That doesn't work anymore for them.