Manson is nearing a return to the Ducks lineup and with Brendan Guhle being sent to the AHL on Saturday, it seems likely that he'll play Sunday vs. the Wild. Manson has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury and his return could very well see him lead the Ducks battered blueline in ice-time. He has just one goal and seven assists (eight points) in 47 games this season.
Blackwood allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Devils loss in Vegas on Tuesday. Since the start of February, Blackwood has gone 6-1-1 while leading the NHL in GAA (1.48) and SV% (.961). Against the Rangers this year, Blackhawks has gone 1-2-0 while giving up 10 goals on 78 shots (.872 SV%).
The Avalanche start a three-game road trip Friday in Vancouver but Makar did not join the team for the start of the trip. This rules him out of tonight's game but head coach Jared Bednar said that the rookie defenseman could join them on the road at some point.
Makar was not on the ice for the morning skate and will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury. Makar is listed as day-to-day, so considering him questionable for Friday's game in Vancouver.
Francouz stopped 30 of 32 shots in Colorado’s win in Nashville last Saturday. Michael Hutchinson gave him the night off on Monday, so they’ll come back to Francouz tonight vs. the Ducks. Francouz has won six straight games with a 1.32 GAA, .957 SV% and one shutout and faces an Anaheim team that has gone 2-5-1 while scoring 2.38 goals per game in their last eight games.
Blackwood allowed two goals on 38 shots in the Devils loss in Los Angeles on Saturday. Blackwood was on an absolute heater in February, going 6-0-1 with a 1.27 GAA, .967 SV% and two shutouts in his last seven starts. In his first start vs. the Golden Knights, Blackwood surrendered four goals on 30 shots in a 4-3 loss (Dec.3).
Francouz allowed two goals on 47 shots in Colorado’s win in Carolina last night. With Philipp Grubauer still out, Francouz will start for the second straight night and will be looking for his sixth straight win. He’s posted a 1.18 GAA, .961 SV% and one shutout in his previous five outings.
Blackwood allowed two goals on 35 shots in the Devils win over the Capitals last Saturday. Cory Schneider started the first two games of the week but Blackwood will face the Kings on Saturday afternoon. Blackwood is riding a six-game winning streak with an amazing 1.15 GAA, .970 SV% and two shutouts. Now he faces a Kings team that has gone 4-2-1 with 3.00 goals per game in their last seven games.
Francouz allowed two goals on 33 shots in Colorado's win over the Sabres on Wednesday. Francouz has won four straight starts, stopping 104 of the last 108 shots (.963 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he'll face a Hurricanes team that has been up-and-down recently and come in on a three-game home losing streak and using their fourth-string netminder.
Francouz allowed one goal on 21 shots in Colorado’s win in Los Angeles last Saturday. Francouz was named the No.1 star in the NHL last week, going 3-0-0 with a 0.65 GAA, .973 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he faces a Buffalo team that has gone 5-1-0 while scoring 3.83 goals per game in their last six outings.
