No surprise that Philipp Grubauer will start Monday when the Avalanche open a back-to-back set with the Arizona Coyotes, a two-game road trip.
The question is, will Jonas Johansson make his Avalanche debut Tuesday? He will be the backup Monday as Adam Werner has been assigned to the taxi squad.
Here are the GAME NOTES.
Coach Jared Bednar said after the morning skate that he would make the decision after the game and announce the starter Tuesday.
Grubauer is having a Vezina Trophy-like season with an 18-7-0 record, five shutouts, a 1.74 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
“Grubi has been outstanding for us, having so much confidence back there, and we have so much confidence in him making those saves,… Cale Makar said Saturday after the Avalanche’s 6-0 win against the Minnesota Wild. “It helps us out a lot being able to play our game and move the puck quicker and not have to worry about that aspect of the game because he’ll make those big saves for us.…
Johansson, on the other hand, struggled in his time with the Buffalo Sabres. Acquired Saturday for a 2021 sixth-round pick in the NHL draft, Johansson went 0-5-1 with them this season with a 3.79 goals-against average and .884 save percentage. He went 1-3-1 last season with a 2.94 GAA and .894 save percentage.
Johansson took part in an optional practice Sunday, working with goalie coach Jussi Parkkila. He practiced again Monday morning.
The Avalanche (19-8-2) have won six games in a row and trail the first-place Vegas Golden Knights by three points in the West Division. They play Vegas at Ball Arena on Thursday and Saturday.
Arizona (13-13-5) is sixth in the West, six points out of the fourth and final playoff spot.