Wagner missed Sunday's game in New York but draws back into the lineup on Tuesday. Wagner has just two assists in 10 games this season but ranks in the top-20 in the NHL in hits (3.1 hits/gm). He'll skate in his familiar fourth-line spot tonight.
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.
Georgiev allowed two goals on 11 shots after replacing Henrik Lundqvist in the Rangers blowout loss to the Bruins on Sunday. After opening the season with a win, Georgiev has since given up nine goals on 83 shots (.892 SV%). The Rangers are currently giving up the most shots against per game, so he'll be in tough against a high-powered Lightning team.
Poolman missed Tuesday's game against the Kings with an undisclosed injury but will replace Ville Heinola in the Heritage Classic. Poolman has one goal in 10 games this season.
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.
Head coach Jared Bednar said he doesn't feel like it will be a "4-to-6 week" injury and expects him back sooner than that. The Avalanche have officially placed the "week-to-week" tag on him, so expect him to miss at least a couple of weeks. He will be re-evaluated after that and then you can expect another update from Colorado.
Kylington was sent down on Sunday, simply because the Flames needed a forward with Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane out. With Mangiapane back tonight, Alan Quine heads back to the AHL and Kylington returns to the Flames, where he will likely serve as a healthy scratch.
Poolman has averaged 15:21 TOI/gm in his first 10 games of the season but will come out of the lineup on Tuesday. Anthony Bitetto will draw back into the Jets lineup, replacing Poolman against the Kings.
Rantanen suffered a pretty ugly looking lower-body injury in the first period of Monday’s game in St. Louis. Rantanen suffered a non-contact injury, twisting his knee while skating out of the offensive zone. Non-contact injuries are usually bad news but the Avalanche likely won’t release any further information until Rantanen is evaluated.
Georgiev allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Rangers loss in New Jersey last Thursday. Georgiev has one win and one loss to start the season, allowing a combined five goals on 69 shots (.928 SV%). On Tuesday, he will face a Coyotes team that has run three in a row while averaging 4.67 goals per game.
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.
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.
Georgiev stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Rangers win in Ottawa on October 5th. The Rangers have had a bizarre early-season schedule but they get back in action with a back-to-back on Thursday/Friday. Georgiev’s first outing was impressive and tonight he faces a Devils team that is the only winless team left. They are averaging just 2.17 goals per game (t-28th) through six games.
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.
