The Avalanche should get a big boost Friday when goalie
Philipp Grubauer and forwards
Mikko Rantanen and
Joonas Donskoi return when the Avalanche face San Jose in the opener of a back-to-back set at Ball Arena.
All three had been in NHL COVID-19 protocol.
Here are the
GAME NOTES.
The Avalanche (31-12-4) have lost three consecutive games for the first time this season and fallen six points behind first place Vegas in the West Division. Minnesota has tied them for second, though the Avalanche have played two fewer games.
Grubauer and Donskoi each missed five games after testing positive. Rantanen missed four games because of contact tracing.
"I don't know how those guys are going to be after their break," coach
Jared Bednar said after the morning skate. "It's not easy to come back in and pick up where you left off, but those guys have been putting in some good work.
“You get your starter back in net, you get some scoring back in the lineup, you become a more confident team and you can cover up for some of the mistakes you make."
Grubauer has a 25-8-1 record in 34 games with a 2.00 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and five shutouts.
Bednar said he will no longer reveal line combinations or his starting goalie, saying he doesn’t want to give opponents any advantage in what he called “must-win” games down the stretch.
But Grubauer will start and Rantanen is expected to rejoin
Gabriel Landeskog and
Nathan MacKinnon on the top line.
Donskoi could play on the third line assuming
Andre Burakovsky moves from the top unit to the second with
Nazem Kadri, who has gone 17 games without a goal, and possibly
Valeri Nichushkin.
"Of course you want to be out there as much as you can," said Rantanen, who has 52 points (26 goals, 26 assists) in 43 games. "Watching those games was tough, you always want to be a part of it. I'm happy to be back now and I'm feeling pretty good. I've been skating for a few days, so that helps. I feel pretty good, actually, right now. It comes back quick.
“Obviously, I'm ready to play big minutes and just try to play my best to get the win. Not too many expectations for myself, just for the team."
Donskoi, who skated for the first time Thursday, has 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) in 42 games.
"I had some symptoms and it sucks," Donskoi said. "I'm happy it's over now. It was a tough couple weeks for sure. I skated for the first time yesterday, trying to get back at it, to get my skating back and all that.
“I'm good to go, so it's good to jump back in and playing games, there's no better way getting back."
The projected lineup:
FORWARDS
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Valeri Nichushkin -- Nazem Kadri -- Andre Burakovsky
Carl Soderberg -- Tyson Jost -- Joonas Donskoi
Kiefer Sherwood -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- J.T. Compher
DEFENSE
Devon Toews -- Samuel Girard
Ryan Graves -- Cale Makar
Patrik Nemeth -- Conor Timmins
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer
Devan Dubnyk
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