Although he did not practice today, Avalanche captain Joe Sakic could return to the lineup Saturday against Nashville, coach Tony Granato said.
“I’d say there’s a pretty good chance he’ll play,” Granato said. “He’s improving, although he wasn’t feeling up to par today, so he didn’t (practice). But if he feels like he did this morning and there are no setbacks, I think he’ll be ready to go.”
Sakic missed Thursday’s game because of back stiffness. The Avs, who will start Peter Budaj in goal against the Predators, have lost five straight games.
Tucker mum
Avalanche winger Darcy Tucker didn’t have much to say today about an incident in Thursday’s game with Minnesota’s Nick Schultz.
Schultz said, after his team’s 3-1 win, that Tucker told him he would go after his knees during a second-period altercation, and that Tucker did just that in the third period.
Tucker was assessed a rare “clipping” penalty — a penalty, in essence, started by the NHL following a 2002 playoff incident when Tucker played for Toronto and low-bridged the New York Islanders’ Mike Peca, resulting in torn knee ligaments.
“I don’t want to discuss anything that might have been said on the ice. I’m an energy player and I go out there and play the game as hard as I can,” Tucker said.
Jones recalled, McCormick on personal leave
The Avs today recalled forward David Jones from Lake Erie of the American Hockey League, after being granted a non-roster exemption by the NHL because forward Cody McCormick was granted permission to leave the team for personal reasons.
The Avs declined to say anything further about McCormick’s situation or how long he might be away from the team.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
