Drouin finds himself back in Montreal's lineup after missing three games so far in 2022-23. The 27-year-old has two assists and four SOG through his first six games this season while playing only 14:18 ATOI.
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.
Smith was recalled after it was announced Friday that Michael Rasmussen will miss the next two games due to a high sticking suspension.
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.
Blackwood stopped 20 of 21 shots in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in his previous start Saturday. He will look to continue his hot run of late after he went 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .932 SV% last week. He faces a Capitals team that is coming off a 4-3 win over LA and ranks 19th in the NHL for GF/GP (3.17) so far.
Poolman was a game-time decision earlier Monday before getting placed on the injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury. It is a tough loss for the struggling Canucks who are the only NHL team yet to win so far in 2022-23. Poolman had one assist through his first three games prior to the injury.
Wedgewood will draw the first start of the Stars' back-to-back games after losing his previous start in overtime 3-2 after stopping 40 of 43 shots (.930 SV%). He will hope to keep Dallas' point streak alive as they have gotten a point in each game to start the 2022-23 season (4-0-1). They head to Ottawa to take on a Senators team that has won their last two games impressively scoring 11 goals between the two victories.
Wedgewood will draw the first start of the Stars' back-to-back games after losing his previous start in overtime 3-2 after stopping 40 of 43 shots (.930 SV%). He will hope to keep Dallas' point streak alive as they have gotten a point in each game to start the 2022-23 season (4-0-1). They head to Ottawa to take on a Senators team that has won their last two games impressively scoring 11 goals between the two victories.
Blackwood stopped 20 of 21 shots in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in his previous start Saturday. He will look to continue his hot run of late after he went 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .932 SV% last week. He faces a Capitals team that is coming off a 4-3 win over LA and ranks 19th in the NHL for GF/GP (3.17) so far.
Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Friday that Toews will miss Friday's and possibly Saturday's games due to a minor injury. In four games so far in 2022-23, the 28-year-old defenseman has three points (0G/3A) with four SOG while holding a +1 plus/minus rating. If he misses time it will be a huge loss for the Avalanche who just announced yesterday that their captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss 12 weeks due to knee surgery.
Francouz struggled in his only start of the 2022-23 season to date, stopping 22 of 27 shots (.815 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. Francouz will be looking to bounce back closer to the .919 SV% he has averaged over his four-year career as he looks up to pick up his first win of the season Friday. He takes on a Seattle Kraken team which has lost three straight contests while allowing four or more goals in each loss.
Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has stated Devon Toews is still being evaluated after last night, with the team expected to have more information on the injury Friday. In four games so far in 2022-23, the 28-year-old defenseman has three points (0G/3A) with four SOG while holding a +1 plus/minus rating. If he misses time it will be a huge loss for the Avalanche who just announced yesterday that their captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss 12 weeks due to knee surgery.
Calvin de Haan will draw back into the Hurricanes' lineup Thursday after being a late scratch in their previous contest due to injury. In his first two games with the Hurricanes, he has zero points and is -1, while only averaging 12:34 TOI per game as Carolina's sixth defenseman.
