The Colorado Avalanche take on the Atlanta Thrashers in Denver on Thursday night, and barring injury, Avs defenseman Karlis Skrastins is poised to make history. Skrastins has played in 485 consecutive games, one shy of Tim Horton's record for NHL defensemen. He tied Horton's record on Tuesday night, in the Avs' dramatic 5-4 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers. One of the NHL's most reliable shot-blockers, Skrastins leaves it all on the ice, shift after shift and night after night. And on Thursday night, the underrated Avs rearguard will finally get his moment in the spotlight.

Now, Cal Ripken's games-played streak was surely impressive. He played in 2,632 games over eight seasons. But in terms of the physical abuse absorbed, there's little comparison between Ripken's feat and Skrastins'. Ripken was fortunate not to suffer any major injuries during his streak, but Skrastins has actually played hockey -- a far more physically demanding sport -- with injuries that would have certainly sidelined Ripken.

Back in 2002, while Skrastins was with the Nashville Predators, his knee required surgery. But rather than skipping the final two regular season games (the Predators were to miss the playoffs), Skrastins played on a knee that required surgical repair. Two seasons later, now a member of the playoff-bound Colorado Avalanche, Skrastins suffered a broken wrist. But he was able to find a brace that immobilized the wrist, and so the Avs' blue line iron man kept on playing. Would Ripken have played baseball with a broken wrist? Highly unlikely...

Every night, Skrastins is assigned the task of neutralizing the opposition's best forwards. Every night, Skrastins throws himself in harm's way numerous times, using his body to block slap shots from the point, doing everything in his power to help his team win. And tonight, Skrastins will be celebrated for his tremendous accomplishment. Players like Skrastins don't get enough appreciation in today's stats-obsessed NHL, and it'll be nice to see Skrastins get his due.

Looking forward, it's high time for the league to add a new trophy to its case, one that rewards each season's best stay-at-home defenseman, with the added criteria that the winner must play in at least 75-80 games. They could call it the Tim Horton Trophy, in honor of the player whose record Skrastins will break tonight. And the coffee franchise that bears Horton's name could engender some good will from hockey fans across Canada by donating a substantial sum of money to charity -- in the name of each season's winner -- in exchange for the right to have their corporate name attached to the trophy their loyal customers will value most.

Here's a look at tonight's Avs-Thrashers game, to be televised nationally on HDNet in 1080i high definition...

Going Back in Time

Though they play in opposite conferences and rarely face one another, there are a lot of interesting connections between the Atlanta Thrashers and the Colorado Avalanche. Most prominent in the storyline, of course, is Thrashers head coach Bob Hartley, who guided the Avs to a Stanley Cup victory in 2001. Today, the Thrashers are leading the Southeast Division, due in no small part to his expert leadership. And then, of course, there's Avs blueliner Brett Clark, who played in parts of three seasons for the Thrashers before he was dealt to the Avs in January, 2002. Clark's play has improved every season since, and he has emerged as one of Colorado's most reliable rearguards this season, tallying 30 points in 53 games.

Breakdown: The Avalanche

Forwards: The Avalanche offense is led by captain Joe Sakic. On Tuesday night against the Panthers, Sakic assisted on the dramatic game-tying goal with just 37 seconds remaining. And then, only 25 seconds into overtime, Sakic fired a wrist shot past Panthers goalie Ed Belfour to give the Avs the victory. Freshmen Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny have been key contributors for the Avs this season as well, and both are strong candidates to make the NHL's All-Rookie team. But veteran sniper Milan Hejduk has struggled a bit, as has sophomore winger Marek Svatos, and both players will need to pick up their play if the Avs are to earn a playoff spot.

Defense: The aforementioned Clark has been excellent, and the Avs got a nice boost on Tuesday when John-Michael Liles returned from a knee injury. Liles has been one of the league's most dynamic offensive defensemen over the past few seasons, and has made Rob Blake's departure a non-issue. And then, of course, there's Skrastins. The ultimate warrior on the Avs' blue line, Skrastins is a stellar defensive defenseman who finds himself matched up against the opposition's top forwards on a nightly basis.

Goaltending: Heading into this season, it was expected that José Théodore would be the Avs' starter. But Théodore, a former Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner, struggled mightily over the season's first month, and so young Peter Budaj took over. Budaj's numbers (16-12-3, 2.66 GAA, .908 SV%) have been far better than Théodore's (10-11-1, 3.16 GAA, .898 SV%), and he'll probably be between the pipes for Thursday night's match-up with the Thrashers.

Breakdown: The Thrashers

Forwards: Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa lead the Thrashers' offense, and are two of the NHL's most dangerous forwards. Kovalchuk boasts tremendous breakaway speed and a laser-like shot, making him incredibly difficult to defend against. And Hossa is quite possibly the league's most complete forward, able to play in virtually every game situation. Former Red Wing Slava Kozlov is the playmaker on the Thrashers' power play, and his deft passing ability makes him the perfect complement to Kovalchuk and Hossa.

Defense: Underestimating the Atlanta defense is a mistake many NHL teams have made this season. Though they lack household names, the Thrashers have a very solid blue line corps, led by the ever-steady Niclas Havelid. Heavy hitters Garnet Exelby and Vitali Vishnevski make life incredibly difficult for opposing forwards, while veteran Greg de Vries -- a member of the Avs' Stanley Cup-winning team in 2001 -- provides a valuable veteran presence.

Goaltending: Put simply, goaltender Kari Lehtonen is the biggest reason why the Thrashers sit atop the Southeast Division. Last season, injuries kept Lehtonen off the ice for an extended period of time, and the goalie merry-go-round destroyed the Thrashers' season. This year, Lehtonen has stayed healthy, and the Fabulous Finn has emerged as one of the NHL's finest netminders.

About the NHL on HDNet

HDNet's NHL game broadcasts are shot exclusively for presentation in the highest-quality 1080i high-definition format, giving viewers all the benefits of a 16:9 aspect ratio and high resolution picture. The live broadcast schedule through February 24th, 2007 is listed below (all times are Eastern). A complete schedule of programming, including encore presentations and additional games, as scheduled, is available at HD.net or at NHL.com. The schedule is subject to change, and local blackout restrictions apply.

NHL on HDNet February Schedule (all times Eastern)

Thursday, February 8th, Thrashers @ Avalanche, 9:00pm ET
Saturday, February 10th, Hurricanes @ Wild, 8:00pm ET
Thursday, February 15th, Oilers @ Sabres, 7:00pm ET
Saturday, February 17th, Ducks @ Kings, 10:30pm ET
Thursday, February 22nd, Devils @ Rangers, 7:00pm ET
Saturday, February 24th, Red Wings @ Predators, 8:00pm ET