Colorado Avalanche News

Blackwood allowed one goal on 27 shots in the Devils win over the Canucks on Wednesday. Blackwood has won two straight and has played particularly well in his last five games, posting a 1.10 GAA and .965 SV%. As good as he's been lately, he'll be in tough against a Capitals team that has won eight of their last 10 (8-2-0) while scoring 3.40 goals per game.

Francouz stopped 37 of 38 shots in Colorado's win over the Devils last Friday. Francouz has played extremely well as of late, winning five of his last six starts (5-0-1) while posting a 1.91 GAA and .944 SV%. The first of those six games came in Chicago, where he stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 5-2 victory--he'll look to replicate that tonight.

Blackwood stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Devils' win in Arizona on Saturday. Despite posting a 1.13 GAA and .965 SV% in his last four appearances (3 starts), Blackwood has gone 1-1-1 over that span. Tonight he faces a Ducks team that played last night and has lost six of their last seven (1-4-2) road games while scoring 2.43 goals per game.

Francouz allowed one goal on 33 shots in Colorado's win over the Flyers on Wednesday. Philipp Grubauer is available tonight but they will start Francouz for the fifth straight game. Francouz has won four of his last five starts (4-0-1) while posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .937 SV%. He has settled into the NHL very nicely and is a terrific start against a New Jersey team that has lost six in a row.

Francouz allowed one goal on 33 shots in Colorado's win over the Flyers on Wednesday. Philipp Grubauer is available tonight but they will start Francouz for the fifth straight game. Francouz has won four of his last five starts (4-0-1) while posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .937 SV%. He has settled into the NHL very nicely and and is a terrific start against a New Jersey team that has lost six in a row.

Makar will miss his third straight game with an upper-body and remains day-to-day. The Avalanche did say that it's possible that Makar will be back for Monday's game in St. Louis, so monitor his status over the weekend.

Francouz allowed five goals on 33 shots in Colorado's overtime loss to the Flames on Monday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Francouz, who will start again Wednesday with Philipp Grubauer still sidelined with a hamstring injury. The 29-year-old netminder is 3-1-1 with a 2.99 GAA and .901 SV% on home ice and gets the nod vs. a Flyers team without two of their top-6 wingers.

Kadri has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury but will play vs. the Flyers on Wednesday. Kadri, who has 20 points (10G / 10A) in 27 games this season, will skate with Joonas Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky at even strength and is expected to be back on the top power-play unit.

Makar, who missed the first game of his pro career on Monday, skated on his own in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday. Makar has been "feeling better the last couple days" according to head coach Jared Bednar but the rookie defenseman is not expected to play vs. the Flyers.

Kadri has missed the lat three games with a lower-body injury but was a full participant in Tuesday's practice and may play vs. the Flyers. Kadri, who has 10 goals and 10 assists (20 points) in 27 games this season, will skate with Joonas Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky if he plays.

Necas has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury but will draw back into the lineup in Edmonton. Necas, who has 16 points (6G / 10A) in 26 games this season, will skate on the third line with Ryan Dzingel and Lucas Wallmark.

Blackwood made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Devils loss to the Blackhawks last Friday. Blackwood has lost five of his last six starts (1-4-1) while posting a 3.58 GAA and .890 SV%. He's a terrible option in Dallas, where the Stars have won nine of their last 10 (9-1-0) while scoring 3.80 goals per game.

Kadri was on the ice in a non-contact sweater this morning and remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Kadri won't play vs. the Flames but his availability for the morning skate suggests that he will return to the lineup later this week.

Makar was forced to leave Saturday's game in Boston after taking a hard hit from Brad Marchand. Makar was not on the ice for Monday's morning skate and will not play vs. the Flames. Head coach Jared Bednar called him "day-to-day" but said there's a chance that he will play this week. With Makar out, Samuel Girard will be on Colorado's top power-play unit.

Francouz stopped all 16 shots that he faced after replacing Philipp Grubauer in Colorado's win in Boston on Saturday. It was another strong outing for Francouz, who has won three straight while stopping 88 of the 92 shots (.957 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he faces a Flames team on a six-game point streak, going 5-0-1 while scoring 3.17 goals per game.

Kamenev missed the last two games with an illness but will replace Matt Calvert, who was granted a personal leave of absence, on Saturday night. Kamenev has just one goal and three assists in 15 games this season.