Rutta is likely out for the remainder of the season as he is battling an undisclosed ailment. The 33-year-old Rutta has 19 points (5G / 14A) and 110 blocks in 69 games this season.
Bailey will draw out of the lineup on Monday as Danil Gushchin will take his place. Bailey has zero points in his last 10 games.
Guschin was the 76th overall pick of the Sharks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He played two games with the Sharks earlier this season but has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with the San Jose Barracuda, scoring 54 points (20G / 34A) in 56 games.
Thompson made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this season and will make his Sharks debut on Monday against the Edmonton Oilers. Thompson was the 93rd overall pick of Tampa Bay in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has 41 points (6G / 35A) in 62 AHL games this season between the Syracuse Crunch and the San Jose Barracuda.
Troy Stecher will draw back into the Oilers lineup on Friday, making Ceci a healthy scratch. The 30-year-old Ceci has 24 points (4G / 20A) in 76 games this season.
Kostin did not play on Sunday due to an illness but will return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames. The 24-year-old Kotin has 13 points (8G / 5A) in 47 games this season.
The Avalanche have been outscored 13-6 in their last two games (0-2-0) but will turn to Georgiev for a third straight time on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild. Georgiev allowed six goals in his last two contests (0-2-0), including a 7-4 loss to the Dallas Stars in his most recent outing when he saved 30 shots (.833 SV%). Colorado enters action as a -195 home favourite.
Graf is an undrafted 21-year-old out of Massachusetts who has played collegiate hockey for the last three seasons. He scored 49 points (22G / 27A) in 34 games with Quinnipiac University this season.
For the first time this season, the Avalanche started a goalie other than Georgiev for two straight contests but will return to him on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. Georgiev has allowed four goals in two of his last three games (1-2-0), including four on 13 shots (.692 SV%) in his last outing before being replaced by Justus Annunen in an eventual 7-4 win over the Nashville Predators. The Avalanche enter action as +121 road underdogs against an Oilers club coming off a disappointing 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars.
