Colorado Avalanche News

Makar missed the last nine games with an upper-body injury that he suffered on December 7th. Makar will skate with Samuel Girard at even-strength and will be back on the top power-play unit in his return. He has a ridiculous eight goals and 20 assists (28 points) in 29 games this season.

Francouz allowed three goals on 32 shots in Colorado's win in Vegas on Monday. The Avalanche have committed to Philipp Grubauer as their No.1 netminder but will continue to ride Francouz while he is hot. Francouz has won four in a row while posting a 1.50 GAA and .956 SV%. On the season, Francouz is 5-1-1 with a 2.47 GAA and .922 SV% on home-ice and is a solid option with the Wild in town--they've lost three of their last four road games.

Blackwood stopped 32 of 33 shots in the Devils win in Chicago on Monday. Blackwood has played well in his last four games, going 3-1-0 with a 2.10 GAA and .932 SV%. It seems unlikely that this trend will continue moving forward, especially on Friday with the Maple Leafs in town. Toronto has won five in a row and have averaged 5.40 goals per game over that stretch.

Blackwood allowed one goal on 27 shots in the Devils win over the Canucks on Wednesday. Blackwood has won two straight and has played particularly well in his last five games, posting a 1.10 GAA and .965 SV%. As good as he's been lately, he'll be in tough against a Capitals team that has won eight of their last 10 (8-2-0) while scoring 3.40 goals per game.

Francouz stopped 37 of 38 shots in Colorado's win over the Devils last Friday. Francouz has played extremely well as of late, winning five of his last six starts (5-0-1) while posting a 1.91 GAA and .944 SV%. The first of those six games came in Chicago, where he stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 5-2 victory--he'll look to replicate that tonight.

Blackwood stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Devils' win in Arizona on Saturday. Despite posting a 1.13 GAA and .965 SV% in his last four appearances (3 starts), Blackwood has gone 1-1-1 over that span. Tonight he faces a Ducks team that played last night and has lost six of their last seven (1-4-2) road games while scoring 2.43 goals per game.

Francouz allowed one goal on 33 shots in Colorado's win over the Flyers on Wednesday. Philipp Grubauer is available tonight but they will start Francouz for the fifth straight game. Francouz has won four of his last five starts (4-0-1) while posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .937 SV%. He has settled into the NHL very nicely and is a terrific start against a New Jersey team that has lost six in a row.

Francouz allowed one goal on 33 shots in Colorado's win over the Flyers on Wednesday. Philipp Grubauer is available tonight but they will start Francouz for the fifth straight game. Francouz has won four of his last five starts (4-0-1) while posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .937 SV%. He has settled into the NHL very nicely and and is a terrific start against a New Jersey team that has lost six in a row.

Makar will miss his third straight game with an upper-body and remains day-to-day. The Avalanche did say that it's possible that Makar will be back for Monday's game in St. Louis, so monitor his status over the weekend.

Francouz allowed five goals on 33 shots in Colorado's overtime loss to the Flames on Monday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Francouz, who will start again Wednesday with Philipp Grubauer still sidelined with a hamstring injury. The 29-year-old netminder is 3-1-1 with a 2.99 GAA and .901 SV% on home ice and gets the nod vs. a Flyers team without two of their top-6 wingers.

Makar, who missed the first game of his pro career on Monday, skated on his own in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday. Makar has been "feeling better the last couple days" according to head coach Jared Bednar but the rookie defenseman is not expected to play vs. the Flyers.

Necas has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury but will draw back into the lineup in Edmonton. Necas, who has 16 points (6G / 10A) in 26 games this season, will skate on the third line with Ryan Dzingel and Lucas Wallmark.

Blackwood made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Devils loss to the Blackhawks last Friday. Blackwood has lost five of his last six starts (1-4-1) while posting a 3.58 GAA and .890 SV%. He's a terrible option in Dallas, where the Stars have won nine of their last 10 (9-1-0) while scoring 3.80 goals per game.

Tynan had one assist in 14 games while averaging 8:44 TOI/gm during his time with the Avalanche. He returns to the AHL, where he has 12 points (2G / 10A) in 10 games.