Avalanche’s Samuel Girard to play first game since Oct. 9

An important player is set to return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup.

When speaking to the media, Avs defenseman Samuel Girard stated that he will be playing on Thursday night, as the team is set to host the Buffalo Sabres.

It will be Girard’s first game since Oct. 9, as he has been out of action with an upper-body injury. It hasn’t been reported when or where he suffered the ailment, as the 27-year-old had been playing regular minutes until his last bit of action against the Utah Mammoth, the Avalanche’s second game of the season.

In two appearances, Girard didn’t register a point, but had a plus/minus of +! while averaging 18:48 of ice time.

It’s easy to say Colorado has done fine in Girard’s absence. Over the past 15 games, the team has gone 9-1-5, having not lost in regulation since Oct. 25, when the Avs dropped a 3-2 decision at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Nevertheless, Colorado looks like it’s going to be the team to beat in the Central Division.

Girard was already under the injury bug heading into the 2025-26 season. The Roberval, Que. native missed the start of training camp with a lower-body injury. Yet, he was able to get back into shape in time for opening night.

The solid puck-moving blueliner was coming off a solid campaign in 2024-25, scoring three goals and 21 assists for 24 points in 73 games. Girard also notched three points in the Avs’ first-round series against the Dallas Stars, which the team lost in a thrilling seven-game series.

In 550 NHL regular-season games, Girard has scored 34 goals and 189 assists for 223 points, with another 28 points in 67 postseason contests.