Colorado Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz misses practice with lower-body injury

The Colorado Avalanche went without goaltender Pavel Francouz during Monday’s practice while he dealt with a lower-body injury, according to a report by The Athletic‘s Peter Baugh.

In a corresponding move ahead of their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, the Avalanche recalled goaltender Jonas Johansson from the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles.

Francouz, 32, has a 7–7–1 record, one shutout, and a .919 save percentage in 15 games with the Avalanche this season. One of very few NHL goaltenders who catches with his right hand, Francouz won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche as Darcy Kuemper’s backup in 2022.

The Avalanche signed Francouz in 2018 as an undrafted free agent out of the Kontinental Hockey League. Francouz emerged as a top AHL goaltender with the Eagles in 2018–19 and posted sparkling numbers as Philipp Grubauer’s tandem partner with the Avalanche the following year.

Francouz missed the entire 2020–21 season while recovering from operations on both his hips. He also sat out the first two months of 2021–22 after suffering an ankle injury in the pre-season. Upon returning, Francouz picked up right where he left off and ultimately won six playoff games for the Avalanche with Kuemper injured during their 2022 Stanley Cup run.

Johansson, 27, has been sharp in his game action with the Eagles this season. The journeyman goaltender has a 12–8–0 record and a .917 save percentage in 21 AHL games in 2022–23; through 33 games in his NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, and Avalanche, Johansson is 9–13–4 with an .884.

It remains to be seen whether Francouz, Johansson, or Alexandar Georgiev will get the start when the Avalanche play host to the Lightning at Ball Arena in Denver, CO on Monday.