NHL backup goalies have two primary responsibilities while sitting on the bench. They must recognize line changes and open the door for teammates coming off the ice. And they must keep a keen eye on the puck in play — particularly when it becomes a threat to hit them in the head.
Big-league backup goalies aren’t required to don their helmets from the bench. But what happened in the first minute of play in Edmonton on Friday is an example of why the NHL might want to follow the amateur leagues and require helmets for every player on the bench.
For the suddenly reeling Avalanche, Pavel Francouz’s head injury from an errant puck at Edmonton is a shot across the bow. Colorado has been punched in the gut three times since clinching the Central Division title and the Western Conference’s No. 1 playoff seed on April 16.
In three consecutive losses, the Avs have lost the equanimity that made them the Stanley Cup favorites, and now they might have to begin the playoffs without one-half of their goaltending tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Francouz.
The latter has a head injury — potentially to his left eye — and/or a concussion. Francouz took a puck to the side of his face off a deflection from Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who was trying to break up defenseman Cale Makar’s zone-exit pass near the Avs’ bench. Francouz did not return to the bench on Friday and the club recalled young and unproven goalie Justus Annunen from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on Saturday.
Annunen, 22, has a 4.34 goals-against average and .863 save percentage in two appearances (97 minutes) with the Avs this season. He’s not the guy you want in the net come playoff time — which begins in approximately 10 days against one of the West’s five potential No. 8 seeds (Kings, Predators, Stars, Golden Knights, Canucks).
If Francouz’s injury is as serious as feared, the Avs will be rolling the dice in the first round with Kuemper, who has not had a save percentage above .889 in his last three appearances stemming from Colorado’s conference-clinching 7-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on April 16.
Time to panic? No. But the Avs are undoubtedly concerned that they’ve lost their winning ways — plus possibly their ideal backup goalie — heading into the final week of the regular season.
They begin their final four-game stretch Sunday at the Winnipeg Jets. Then there are home games Tuesday and Thursday against playoff-ready St. Louis Blues (9-0-1 stretch entering Saturday’s game at Arizona) and Nashville Predators (who are trying to maintain a wild-card spot), respectively. The finale is Friday at the red-hot Minnesota Wild (7-2-1 last 10 games) to conclude a consecutive-night stretch in which the Avs will use two goalies.
Overcoming adversity is a staple of every good NHL team. The Avs certainly have proven they possess those qualities. The optimists look at the pending return of leading scorer Mikko Rantanen, who has missed the last two games because of a non-COVID illness, and left wing and team captain Gabe Landeskog, who underwent knee surgery last month. Colorado will also likely reinsert precautionary-scratched defensemen Devon Toews and Erik Johnson in the final three games, with fellow blueliner Ryan Murray on the cusp of returning from a broken arm.
Francouz’s injury, however, has pessimists screaming at the Avalanche’s imminent demise.
But a warning shot could be enough to change the direction of this ship.
