Girard's lower-body injury comes as somewhat of a surprise after he played a season high 23:19 TOI in the Avalanche's second game in Finland Nov. 5th vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets his last time out. It is a tough blow for the injured Avalanche who also announced Bowen Byram is week-to-week earlier Tuesday.

Nichuskin will undergo ankle surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after missing the Avalanches' last four games. This is a terrible loss for the 27-year-old, who was enjoying the best season of his career to date prior to the injury, scoring seven goals and 12 points in his first seven games played.

Wedgwood won his third straight start his last time out, stopping 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%) in a 6-2 victory over the high scoring Edmonton Oilers. He has filled in admirably in the absence of Jake Oettinger (lower-body), posting a 3-2-1 record along with a .908 SV% and 3.05 GAA. He faces off against the surging Winnipeg Jets, who have won five of their last six games while still only ranking 20th in the NHL in GF/GP with 3.0.

Blackwood left the Devil's last game vs. Edmonton after 28:41 due to a knee injury. It was announced today that New Jersey's goaltender will miss the next 3-6 weeks with an MCL sprain to his knee. Blackwood had struggled prior to the injury, posting a 4-2-0 record along with a .880 SV% and 2.79 GAA. Vitek Vanecek will take the majority of the Devils' starts in the meantime.

Blackwood left the Devil's last game vs. Edmonton after 28:41 due to a knee injury. It was announced today that New Jersey's goaltender has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL and will meet with team doctors Tuesday for a further update. Blackwood had struggled prior to the injury, posting a 4-2-0 record along with a .880 SV% and 2.79 GAA. Vitek Vanecek will take the majority of the Devils' starts in the mean time.

Nichuskin has missed the Avalanche's last two games due to a lower-body injury but was on the ice for warmups Friday in Finland before heading off prematurely. He is now announced out for Friday's game and will be reevaluated before their second game Saturday. He shares the Avalanche lead in points alongside Nathan MacKinnon with 12 points (7G/5A) in seven games.

Nichushkin has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury but was skating on the top line and top power-play unit in Thursday's practice. Head coach Jared Bednar called him a game-time decision, so monitor his status as the Avalanche hit the ice in Finland at 1:30 PM ET.

Blackwood stopped 21 of 23 shots (.913 SV%) in a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in his last start. Despite his 4-2-0 record, the netminder has struggled this season with a .879 SV% and 2.67 GAA. He draws the tough task of taking on Edmonton, who ranks third in the NHL in goals per game (4.1) and is coming off a 7-4 win over Nashville.

Wedgewood stopped 30 of 32 shots (.938 SV%) to earn his first victory of the season in a 5-2 win over LA Tuesday. Through four games, he has a .895 SV% and 3.64 GAA to go along with his 1-2-1 record. He faces off against the Arizona Coyotes who are last in the NHL in shots per game averaging only 22.3.

Blackwood stopped 21 of 23 shots (.913 SV%) in a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in his last start. Despite his 4-2-0 record, the netminder has struggled this season with a .879 SV% and 2.67 GAA. He draws the tough task of taking on Edmonton, who ranks third in the NHL in goals per game (4.1) and is coming off a 7-4 win over Nashville.

Parker Kelly will head to the press box for Derick Brassard Thursday vs. Tampa Bay for the first time this season. The 23-year-old has yet to acquire a point this season through nine games, but does have 18 PIMs while only getting two SOG.

Wedgewood is coming off a tough loss on Saturday vs the Rangers where he allowed four goals on 17 shots (.765 SV%) after getting peppered in relief after Jake Oettinger left in the second period due to injury. Wedgewood is still looking for his first win of 2022-23, posting a 0-2-1 record along with his .880 SV% and 4.29 GAA. He takes on the high-scoring LA Kings who rank sixth in the NHL in GF/GP (3.64) and won their last two games after a victory Monday, as they easily handled the Blues 5-1 in the first of their back-to-back games.

Nichuskin will not dress Friday vs. the Devils after head coach Jared Bednar announced he is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. It is a huge blow for the Avalanche who will now be without their top goal and point scorer as Nichuskin had seven goals and five assists through his first seven games to start 2022-23.

Francouz will get his first start in a week after losing his previous game 3-2 to Seattle, stopping 35 of 38 shots (.921 SV%) in the loss. He will be looking to improve his .877 SV% and 4.10 GAA as he tries to pick up his first win in three starts this season. The Avalanche will take on the New Jersey Devils who have won three of their last four games and are coming off an impressive 6-2 win over the Red Wings Tuesday.

Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Tuesday morning that Devon Toews would return to the Avalanche lineup after missing the last two games due to an undisclosed injury. Through four games so far this season, he has three assists with four SOG while averaging 21:03 TOI.