The 24-year-old Kovalenko made his NHL debut with the Avalanche this season but has struggled adapting to the North American rink after being dominant in the KHL the past several seasons. In his past two campaigns with the Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo (KHL), Kovalenko scored 89 points (32G / 57A) in 98 games.
Despite being pulled in his first two contests, the Avalanche will turn to Georgiev in the crease again on Monday against the New York Islanders. Georgiev has been abysmal early this season, posting an unsightly 7.75 GAA and .680 SV% through two games (0-1-0). The 28-year-old Georgiev had a forgetful 2023-24 campaign as well, posting a 3.02 GAA and .897 SV% in 63 appearances (38-18-5), but the Avalanche are desperately hoping he can revert to that form as soon as possible. The Avalanche enter action as -152 home favorites against the Islanders.
Georgiev was yanked after allowing five goals on 16 shots in Colorado's loss in Vegas in their season opener. It was an ugly start to the season but the Avalanche will not hesitate to go right back to him on Saturday. Colorado are massive favourites (-321) and Georgiev was 24-6-1 with a 2.75 GAA and .902 SV% on home ice last year.
Thompson will take Macklin Celebrini's spot on the Sharks roster after he was moved to IR. The 22-year-old defenseman appeared in two NHL games with the Sharks last year, but spent most of the season in the AHL, where he had nine points (1G / 8A) in 16 games.
The Sharks have placed Celebrini on IR and will be without this summer's No.1 overall pick for at least a couple of weeks. This is a terrible break for Celebrini, who had one goal, one assist and two SOG in his NHL debut on Thursday. Mikael Granlund will move up and centre the top line and Klim Kostin will draw into the lineup to replace Celebrini.
Georgiev was yanked after allowing five goals on 16 shots in Colorado's loss in Vegas in their season opener. It was an ugly start to the season but the Avalanche will not hesitate to go right back to him on Saturday. Colorado are massive favourites (-321) and Georgiev was 24-6-1 with a 2.75 GAA and .902 SV% on home ice last year.
With Aleksander Barkov's injury status up in the air for Saturday's contest, Florida has recalled Patrick Giles from Charlotte (AHL) for some offensive depth. The 24-year-old undrafted right-winger has yet to make an NHL appearance but had 13 goals, 23 points and 31 PIMs in 66 games with Charlotte (AHL) in 2023-24.
Celebrini is battling a lower-body injury and is questionable for Saturday's game against the Anaheim Ducks. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky would not specify if Celebrini absence is due to a new injury or something that was previously lingering. The 18-year-old Celebrini made his NHL debut on Thursday and recorded two points (1G / 1A) in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Noah Juulsen will draw into the lineup on Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers to replace Desharnais. The 28-year-old Desharnais, in his first season with the Canucks, played 13:11 in their season opener, recording four penalty minutes and a -2 plus/minus.
The Avalanche will turn to Georgiev between the pipes on Wednesday night in their season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights. After posting a stellar 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in the 2022-23 season, Georgiev fell off significantly last season, posting a pedestrian 3.02 GAA and .897 SV% in 63 games (38-18-5). Though his statistics may be inconsistent, he has impressively collected 38 and 40 wins in the last two seasons respectively, and should be a candidate to secure over 35 wins again this season. The Avalanche enter action on Wednesday with even -105 odds on the road against the Golden Knights.
The Avalanche will turn to Georgiev between the pipes on Wednesday night in their season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights. After posting a stellar 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in the 2022-23 season, Georgiev fell off significantly last season, posting a pedestrian 3.02 GAA and .897 SV% in 63 games (38-18-5). Though his statistics may be inconsistent, he has impressively collected 38 and 40 wins in the last two seasons respectively, and should be a candidate to secure over 35 wins again this season. The Avalanche enter action on Wednesday with even -105 odds on the road against the Golden Knights.
Mukhamadullin has not been able to participate in San Jose's training camp due to a lower-body injury and was placed on the Injured Non-Roster list on Monday. The 22-year-old former 1st-round pick made his NHL debut with the Sharks in 2023-24 and had an assist, four PIMs and five SOG in a short three-game showing.
Celebrini took an awkward fall in San Jose's preseason game last week and missed some practices due to a lower-body injury but has stated he is healthy and ready for his NHL debut on Thursday. It is great news for the 18-year-old who was drafted first overall in last year's NHL entry draft after producing 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games at Boston University (NCAA).
Askarov has missed the majority of San Jose's training camp with a lower-body injury and has unsurprisingly been assigned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) for the start of the 2024-25 season. The newly acquired goaltender will need to spend some time in the minors getting back to speed before he makes his inevitable Sharks' debut this season.
