Colorado Avalanche News

Olofsson is battling an illness and will miss Thursday's game against the Seattle Kraken. The 29-year-old Olofsson has 27 points (14G / 13A) in 54 games this season.

Colorado is coming off a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights and will turn to Blackwood between the pipes on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. Blackwood struggled in his most recent outing, allowing four goals on 21 shots (.810 SV%) in a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The 28-year-old netminder has a 2.23 GAA and .916 SV% in 35 games with Colorado this season (22-10-3). Colorado enters Thursday's contest as sizeable -223 home favorites against a Vancouver team coming off a roller coaster come-from-behind 6-5 overtime win over the Dallas Stars.

Olofsson is battling an illness and his status for Thursday's game against the Seattle Kraken is up in the air. The 29-year-old Olofsson has 27 points (14G / 13A) in 54 games this season.

Colorado's head coach Jared Bednar stated that MacKinnon would likely play if they were fighting for a playoff spot, indicating that he should be ready to play in the postseason. The 29-year-old MacKinnon has a league-leading 116 points (32G / 84A) in 79 games this season.

Girard has not played since March 31st but will draw back into the lineup on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 26-year-old Girard is averaging 20:49 time-on-ice and has 23 points (3G / 20A) in 70 games this season.

Necas has not played since April 2nd but will draw back into the lineup on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. Colorado will rely heavily upon Necas on Thursday as they will be without Nathan MacKinnon (undisclosed). The 26-year-old Necas has 26 points (11G / 15A) in 27 games with Colorado this season.

Colorado is coming off a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights and will likely turn to Blackwood between the pipes on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. Blackwood struggled in his most recent outing, allowing four goals on 21 shots (.810 SV%) in a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The 28-year-old netminder has a 2.23 GAA and .916 SV% in 35 games with Colorado this season (22-10-3). Colorado enters Thursday's contest as sizeable -223 home favorites against a Vancouver team coming off a roller coaster come-from-behind 6-5 overtime win over the Dallas Stars.

Landeskog has not played since the 2021-22 season and still doesn't have definitive timeline for a return, but has been skating regularly with the team and will partake in a conditioning stint in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles. Landeskog missed the entire 2022-23 regular season as he recovered from knee surgery and followed that up with a cartilage transplant in his right knee during the offseason. The 32-year-old has 571 points (248G/323A) and a +77 plus/minus across 738 career NHL games.

Colton was a surprise scratch on Tuesday, with the Avalanche not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Chris Wagner will draw into the lineup in his place.

Heading into the postseason, Colorado has opted to rotate goalies and will turn to Wedgewood between the pipes for the third time in their last five games. The 32-year-old Wedgewood was solid in his most recent outing, saving 21 of 23 shots (.913 SV%) in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The 32-year-old Wedgewood has a 2.00 GAA and .919 SV% in 17 appearances this Colorado this season (11-4-1). Colorado enters Tuesday's contest as -128 home favorites against a Vegas Golden Knights team riding a two-game winning streak.

Necas played 22:35 time-on-ice, scoring a goal, Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, showing no signs of an ailment, but will be sidelined on Thursday due to an undisclosed injury. The 26-year-old Necas has 26 points (11G / 15A) in 27 games with Colorado this season.

On the tail end of a back-to-back, after a 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Blackwood will be tending the twine for the Avalanche on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Blackwood was solid in his previous outing, saving 25 of 27 shots (.926 SV%), but did not receive ample goal support in a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The 28-year-old netminder has a 2.14 GAA and .919 SV% in 33 games with the Avalanche this season (21-9-3). Colorado enters Thursday's contest as -141 road favorites against a Columbus team that has won three of their last four games (3-1-0).

Middleton did not play in Colorado's previous game but will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old Middleton is averaging 11:16 time-on-ice and has two points (0G / 2A) in 34 games this season.

Wedgewood and the Avalanche had a 2-0 lead over the Calgary Flames midway through the third period on Monday but ultimately lost the contest 3-2 in a shootout. He will return to the crease on Wednesday, looking to redeem himself with a victory against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 32-year-old Wedgewood has been excellent in limited action for the Avalanche this season, posting a 2.01 GAA and .919 SV% in 16 appearances (10-4-1). Colorado enters Wednesday's contest as enormous -381 road favorites against a Blackhawks team that has lost 10 of their last 11 (1-10-0).

The Avalanche have not released any news regarding Wedgewood but recalled Kevin Mandolese from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) on Wednesday, indicating that Wedgewood may be sidelined against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 32-year-old Wedgewood has been excellent in limited action for the Avalanche this season, posting a 2.01 GAA and .919 SV% in 16 appearances (10-4-1).

Kiviranta has missed three straight due to a lower-body injury but appears to be nearing a return to the lineup. The 29-year-old Kiviranta has a career-high 23 points (16G / 7A) in 72 games this season, including seven points (5G / 2A) in his last 14.

Colorado's four-game winning streak snapped in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, and they will switch to Wedgewood tending the twine on Monday against the Calgary Flames. Wedgewood was solid in a 4-2 win over the Flames on March 14th, saving 22 of 24 shots (.917 SV%). The 32-year-old Wedgewood has a solid 2.02 GAA and .918 SV% in 15 appearances with Colorado this season (10-4-0). Colorado enters Monday's contest as sizeable -273 home favorites against a Flames club with points in five of their last six games (4-1-1).