Blackwood gave up four goals on 16 shots in the Devils loss to the Coyotes last Friday. Cory Schneider started on Wednesday and was lit up for seven goals, so the Devils will come back to Blackwood on Friday. The 22-year-old has gone 2-1-2 with a 2.47 GAA, 893 SV% and one shutout in five starts a the Prudential Center this season.
The Avalanche are already without Mikko Rantanen on a week-to-week basis and now Landeskog could miss an extended period of time with a lower-body issue. This is a massive blow for the Avalanche and leaves Nathan MacKinnon on an island on their top-line. The Avalanche should release a more detailed timetable in the coming days.
Manson had to be helped off of the ice after crashing into the boards in Dallas on Thursday and will miss the Ducks two-game weekend road-trip. Korbinian Holzer moved up to help replace Manson vs. the Stars and Erik Gudbranson was acquired from the Penguins and could make his Ducks debut on Saturday.
Blackwood stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Devils shutout win over the Canucks last Saturday. Blackwood lost his first three starts of the season but has since won two in a row while stopping 54 of the 56 shots (.964 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he faces a Coyotes team that has won four of their last five, but come in on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
Francouz made 34 saves on 36 shots in Colorado’s win over the Coyotes last Saturday. It was an impressive season debut for Francouz, who is now 1-2-0 with a 1.94 GAA and .944 SV% in his first three NHL appearances. The 29-year-old looks like a serviceable NHL backup and will make a good spot-start option some nights, but not tonight in Tampa Bay.
Blackwood allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Devils win over the Rangers on Thursday. Blackwood secured the Devils’ first win of the season and earned himself a second-straight start this afternoon. Today he faces a Vancouver team that is 4-2-0 and is averaging the 11th most goals per game (3.33 GF/pg).
MacKinnon is dealing with a lower-body injury and is questionable for Friday's game in Florida. If MacKinnon is unable to play, head coach Jared Bednar said that Nazem Kadri will move up and centre the first line and J.T. Compher will centre the second line.
Blackwood allowed three goals on 22 shots in the Devils’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Oilers last Thursday. Cory Schneider started the last two games but Blackwood will start tonight vs. the Rangers. Somehow the Rangers have only played in three games but their offence has been hot to start the season. This could be a high-scoring affair, making Blackwood a low-end starter on a nine-game slate.
Nichushkin has just one assist in his first five games with the Avalanche and will rest Wednesday in Pittsburgh. J.T. Compher is returning from a lower-body injury, replacing Nichushkin in their bottom-6.
It will be the first start of Francouz's career, although he did make a pair of relief appearances last season, stopping 33 of the 35 shots he faced in those two games. He registered a 27-20-1 record with the AHL's Colorado Eagles last season, posting a 2.68 GAA and a .918 SV%. He's worth considering for a spot start against Arizona if you're desperate for goalie stats.
Blackwood allowed two goals on nine shots in the Devils shootout loss to the Jets last night. Blackwood entered the game with a 4-2 lead after Cory Schneider got hurt and he continued to blow the Devils four-goal lead. Blackwood was solid last season, posting a .918 SV% 21 starts, so there’s no reason to panic after half of a game. He was 4-7-0 with a 3.02 GAA and .914 SV% on the road last year, so you have a right to be nervous tonight.
The former No.10 overall pick (2013) struggled mightily in 2019 after returning from a two-year stint in the KHL. Nichushkin failed to record a goal while compiling just 10 assists in 57 games with the Stars and has just 74 points (23G / 51A) in 223 career NHL games with Dallas. This is a low-risk signing for the Avalanche and Nichushkin has a chance to produce in a quality bottom-6 that improved this summer.
Girard posted a career-high with 27 points (4G / 23A) in 82 games last season. Girard will be the man in Colorado to start 2020 following the trade of Tyson Barrie. However, Cale Makar could quickly elevate up the depth chart but Girard will likely play on the top-pair and second power-play to open the season.
Kamenev only appeared in 25 combined games last year after suffering a shoulder injury in mid-December. Kamenev had just two goals and three assists (five points) in 23 games with the Avalanche and will likely start 2020 on their fourth line.
Hudon spent the entire 2019 season with the Canadiens but appeared in just 32 games and picked up just five points (3G / 2A). It was a disappointing year for Hudon, who had 30 points in 2018. With Ryan Poehling and Nick Suzuki pushing for the NHL, Hudon will likely be an extra forward to start 2020.
