Coach Jared Bednar will have a goalie decision to make when the Avalanche open the Stanley Cup playoffs next month.
Philipp Grubauer likely has the edge over Pavel Francouz. He’s coming off a solid second season with Colorado that was cut short with an injury in February, and his play was exceptional in last year’s playoffs when the Avalanche came within one game of advancing to the Western Conference finals.
But Francouz, in his first full NHL season, played his best hockey in the final month after Grubauer sustained a lower-body injury Feb. 15 in the Stadium Series game against Los Angeles at the Air Force Academy.
Grubauer finished with an 18-12-4 record, two shutouts, a 2.63 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in 36 games.
Francouz went 21-7-4 with a shutout, 2.41 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in 34 games.
“I think it's a good spot to be in for our club,… Bednar said earlier this week. “We've got two guys that we're confident in as a coaching staff and that our team is confident in playing in front of, and both of them have done excellent jobs during the course of this season to merit a chance to start in the playoffs.
“We'll have to pick someone and we'll use all of our time available to us and all of the games that we get to see, scrimmages through camp, exhibition game, the three round-robin games and then we'll name a starter, but when it's all said and done we may need both of those guys.…
Grubauer said he was ready to get back in net before the NHL went on hold March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t think there’s a competition between Frankie and me,… he said. “It’s a competition between the Colorado Avalanche and whoever we’re going to play. Whoever gets the call between the pipes has got to do his job. If you’re not in the next game, the next guy’s got to step up. It’s a team sport and we all have to be ready. I think training camp gives us enough time to get ready.…
Grubauer was injured early in the third period against the Kings at Falcon Stadium in a collision with defenseman Ian Cole. He missed the final 13 games.
“I actually was really close to coming back,… he said. “I think we would have played the next game before we shut down. We skated before that, obviously. You miss a couple more games than all the other guys, but it doesn't really make a difference if you stop playing in February or two or three weeks later.
“I don't think it's a huge difference; the cards get mixed newly here for everyone and it gives us enough time to get ready. I think because we had so many injured guys (the league pause) came at the right time, so you're not limping into the playoffs with a bunch of injuries. I think it's going to be really exciting starting the new playoffs."
Francouz started 12 of the final 13 games (Michael Hutchinson got the other start) and posted an 8-2-2 record. He won six games in a row from Feb. 19-29 with a 1.32 average and .957 save percentage. From Nov. 7-Dec 23 he went 9-0-1, the longest streak without a regulation loss by an Avalanche goalie since Semyon Varlamov went 11-0-5 in 2013-14.
“I think we're going to need both goalies to be ready,… said Francouz, who finished tied for fifth in the NHL in save percentage and seventh in goals-against average. I don't see any big competition here, there is just competition between the Colorado Avalanche and the other teams."