Colorado Avalanche News

It appears Georgiev will start again for the Avalanche as they both look to improve to 6-0-0 on the season. Georgiev has been nothing short of spectacular, boasting a 1.58 GAA and .943 SV%, both league-best among goalies that have played at least four games. The Avalanche are -132 road favourites against a New York Islanders team that has the seventh-worst offensive in the league, averaging only 2.25 goals per game.

It appears John Ludvig will make his NHL debut for the Penguins on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars. Ludvig was the 69th overall pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Last season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, Ludvig had 17 points (3G / 14A) in 54 games. He will likely play next to Ryan Shea on the Penguins' third defensive pairing.

Georgiev was perfect in his previous start as he stopped 18 of 18 shots against vs. the Chicago Blackhawks for his first shutout of the season and will start Saturday vs. Carolina. The 27-year-old has yet to lose this season as he is 4-0-0 with a .965 SV% and a .098 GAA. He takes on the Carolina Hurricanes, who have lost two of their last three but are third in the NHL in shots per game (34.8) and fourth in goals (4.6).

Georgiev is tied for the league lead with three wins (3-0-0) early in the season and will look to add another as the Avalanche host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. Georgiev has been nothing short of terrific in his first three games, recording a near-perfect 1.30 GAA and .958 SV%. Last season, Georgiev posted a 1.00 GAA and .950 SV% in two games against the Blackhawks (2-0-0). Despite the Blackhawks' impressive 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Georgiev and the Avalanche are massive -347 home favourites and should walk away with a victory at ease tonight.

Georgiev is tied for the league lead with three wins (3-0-0) early in the season and will look to add another as the Avalanche host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. Georgiev has been nothing short of terrific in his first three games, recording a near-perfect 1.30 GAA and .958 SV%. Last season, Georgiev posted a 1.00 GAA and .950 SV% in two games against the Blackhawks (2-0-0). Despite the Blackhawks' impressive 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Georgiev and the Avalanche are massive -347 home favourites and should walk away with a victory at ease tonight.

Georgiev will look to continue his sparkling start to the season after he is slated to get the nod in goal for the third consecutive game for the Avalanche. Georgiev has shut the door in his first two games of the season (2-0-0), posting a 1.45 GAA and .947 SV%. With Pavel Francouz out indefinitely and current backup Ivan Prosvetov lacking NHL experience, Georgiev should be a workhorse for the Avalanche going forward. Tonight, they are -149 road favourites against a Seattle Kraken team that has had a miserable start to the season, scoring only twice in their first three games (0-2-1).

Annunen was the odd man out as Colorado had three goaltenders on their active roster and has been assigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) on Monday. The 23-year-old struggled in minimal usage with the Avalanche in 2022-23 as he was 1-1-0 with a .854 SV% and 3.58 GAA. He heads back to the Colorado Eagles, where he was much more successful last season with his 22-10-8 record, .916 SV% and 2.55 GAA.

Cogliano missed the Avalanche season opener with a neck injury but is expected to replace Kurtis MacDermid on the fourth line on Saturday. The veteran winger is a solid depth piece and penalty killer but carries no fantasy value. He had 19 points (10G / 9A) in 79 games last year.

Georgiev will search for his 100th career victory as he is slated to tend the pipes for the second consecutive game for the Avalanche. Georgiev was terrific in his first game of the season, saving 34 of 36 shots in a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings. After a fantastic first season with the Avalanche that saw him record a 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in 62 games (40-16-6), Georgiev looks poised to pick up where he left off as one of the top goalies in the league this season. The Avalanche will be facing a Sharks team that struggles to generate offence and will be without Mikael Granlund and Logan Couture.

Now in his fourth season as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, in which he has recorded 139 points (29 G / 110A) in 200 games, Toews has been rewarded a seven-year, $50.75 million contract extension. Toews has solidified himself as one of the league's premiere all-around defensemen and has secured himself a lucrative contract that will go through to his age-37 season.

Georgiev led the NHL in wins with his 40-16-6 record, .918 SV% and 2.53 GAA in 2022-23 and will be Colorado's starting goaltender vs. Los Angeles for their season opener Wednesday. The 27-year-old is entering his second season in Colorado after signing a three-year, $10.2 million contract prior to last season. He takes on Los Angeles on the road, who finished 2022-23 11th in the NHL in both shots per game (32.4) and goals for (274).

Cogliano has been out since April 28th due to a neck injury he sustained during the 2022-23 playoffs and has been labelled out for Colorado's opening game vs. Los Angeles after originally being a game-time decision. The 36-year-old veteran is entering his 17th NHL season and had 10 goals, nine assists, 85 SOG, 44 PIMs and a +6 plus/minus in 79 games played in 2022-23.

Annuen was expected to make the Avalanche's opening-day roster until they scooped up Ivan Prosvetov from Arizona on waivers Monday which has led to the netminder being assigned to Colorado (AHL) to start the 2023-24 season. The 23-year-old Finnish netminder appeared in two games for the Avalanche in 2022-23 and had a 1-1-0 record, .854 SV%, and 3.58 GAA.

Ludvig was the 69th overall selection of the Florida Panthers in the NHL Entry Draft in 2019. He is unlikely to see much, if any, playing time in the NHL this season but adds some nice organizational depth for the Penguins' defensive core. Last season, Ludvig played 54 games for the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL where he recorded 17 points (3G / 14A).

Francouz has been placed on the injured reserve as he continues to recover from a groin injury. Francouz battled injuries last season as well, recording a 2.61 GAA and .915 SV% while playing in only 16 games (8-7-1). Justus Annunen will serve as the backup to Alexandar Georgiev to start the season as Francouz's timeline for return remains uncertain.