The Colorado Avalanche injury list gained two members following Saturday’s outdoor loss against the Kings with forward and goalie now sidelined.
Both Avalanche players suffered lower-body injuries at Falcon Stadium on the Air Force Academy campus. Calvert is expected to miss several weeks, while Grubauer is considered day-to-day for his return with the potential to “miss some time,” coach told reporters Monday.
Calvert has 25 points (12 goals) over 50 games this season. will replace Calvert on the third line, Bednar added, with T.J. Tynan stepping into Colorado’s fourth line. Bednar described Calvert’s injury as an “oblique strain.”
“(Calvert) felt pain in his lower body, and it kind of got worse and worse,” Bednar said. “We’re hoping itap an injury that we can get him back skating and playing here in the next couple of weeks.”
Backup goalie Pavel Francouz will start in net against the Lightning Monday night. He is 13-5-2 this season with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. Francouz is 2-2-1 over his last five game appearances.
Grubauer was injured during a third-period collision with teammate against the Kings.
On Sunday, the Avs recalled AHL goalie Hunter Miska from the Colorado Eagles. Miska, 24, touts a 13-5-3 record this season with a 2.62 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and one shutout. The former Minnesota-Duluth goaltender signed with Colorado as a free agent in July and has one career NHL game appearance — in November of 2018 for the in relief duty against the .
“(Miska) has been really good,” Bednar said. “Thatap whatap earned him the contract and now he’s been given this opportunity. He’s given (the Eagles) a chance to win every night.”
“We know it’s coming.” The NHL trade deadline is one week away (Feb. 24) with several teams already making moves. The Lightning traded for New Jersey Devils forward Blake Coleman on Sunday in exchange for forward prospect Nolan Foote and a 2020 first-round draft pick.
“We stay tuned in to what is going on around the league, but itap not like we’re talking to one another and asking if we’re worried (about being traded),” Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog said. “We know itap coming and we know itap part of the job. It comes every year. For us, itap a matter of focusing on the game at hand and making sure we’re ready to go.”
Traffic debacle. The gridlock of vehicles in and out of Air Force on Saturday turned the outdoor hockey showcase into a nightmare for many fans. However, advanced planning ensured the team did not get caught in either of the traffic jams.
“It was really good for our team, to be honest with you,” Bednar said. “We came into the stadium early and we left with a (police) escort, just trying to get us out of some of that traffic. Once we hit I-25, it was pretty smooth sailing for us. I understand it wasn’t that way for some other people, but I think you would expect some traffic for the size of an event like this, especially when you’re going onto an Air Force base with security.”
