Colorado Avalanche News

Nichushkin will be scratched for the third straight game despite skating on the fourth line on Tuesday. Denis Gurianov was called up on Wednesday morning and draw into the lineup, leaving Nichushkin on the sidelines again.

Nichushkin will not play Thursday due to an “upper-body tweak” so Brett Ritchie will draw into the Stars lineup vs. the Kings. Nichushkin’s return to the NHL has not gone very well—he has no goals and seven assists in 37 games.

Blackwood allowed five goals on 32 shots in the Devils win over the Blackhawks on Monday. Keith Kinkaid got the nod the following night, so Blackwood should be well rested as he tries to extend his winning streak to three. The 22-year-old is 1-2-0 with a 2.81 GAA and .930 SV% in four appearances on the road so far.

Blackwood stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Devils win over the Flyers on Saturday afternoon. It was an impressive showing for Blackwood, who had missed the three previous games with a lower-body injury. Blackwood enters play on Monday at 4-2-0 with a 1.85 GAA, .947 SV% and two shutouts since replacing Cory Schneider on the roster.

Blackwood stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Devils win over the Flyers on Saturday afternoon. It was an impressive showing for Blackwood, who had missed the three previous games with a lower-body injury. Blackwood enters play on Monday at 4-2-0 with a 1.85 GAA, .947 SV% and two shutouts since replacing Cory Schneider on the roster.

Blackwood has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury but may start on Saturday afternoon. Blackwood has played well in eight appearances this season, posting a 1.83 GAA, .947 SV% and two shutouts.

Moving Blackwood to IR was done to open up a roster spot to recall Kevin Rooney from Binghamton (AHL). Blackwood is eligible to come off of IR for Saturday’s game. Cam Johnson will remain with the Devils to backup Keith Kinkaid while Blackwood is out.

The Avalanche don’t play again until Tuesday so this could be a money saving move or an indication that Semyon Varlamov is healthy again.

Blackwood allowed five goals on 40 shots in the Devils loss in Dallas on Wednesday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Blackwood, who will make his fifth straight start tonight in Arizona. The Coyotes are just 7-12-1 on home-ice, so you can take a look at starting Blackwood tonight.

Blackwood stopped all 25 shots that he he faced in the Devils shutout win over the Canucks on Monday. Blackwood has posted back-to-back shutouts and won three in a row while allowing just two goals on 104 shots (.981 SV%). Despite this impressive stretch, Blackwood remains a risky option in Dallas against a Stars with a potent top-line and an above average power-play.

Francouz has gone 13-7-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .919 SV% with the Eagles this season. There is no word why Francouz has been recalled but it suggests that Semyon Varlamov or Philipp Grubauer is banged up.

Blackwood stopped all nine shots that he faced after replacing Keith Kinkaid in the Devils loss to the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Since coming up from the AHL, Blackwood has stopped 53 of the 57 shots (.930 SV%) that he has faced. He’ll be in tough in his first start after the break, facing a Bruins team that is 13-4-0 on home-ice this season.

Blackwood stopped all nine shots that he faced after replacing Keith Kinkaid in the Devils loss to the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Since coming up from the AHL, Blackwood has stopped 53 of the 57 shots (.930 SV%) that he has faced. He’ll be in tough in his first start after the break, facing a Bruins team that is 13-4-0 on home-ice this season.

Francouz is in his first season in the AHL after spending three full seasons in the Czech Republic and three more in the KHL. The 28-year-old netminder has gone 13-5-1 with a 2.61 GAA and .921 SV% in 21 AHL games. Francouz likely won’t even dress on Saturday.