Avalanche to Use Full Lineup in Exhibition

There will be no experimenting with line combinations or testing players in certain situation in its only Return To Play exhibition game for the Colorado Avalanche. Head coach Jared Bednar has said that he will ice a lineup that will be very similar to the one the club will use once the Stanley Cup Qualifiers begin this weekend.

Maybe the only test for Bednar in the Avs' lone tune-up on Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild is in net, but even that might be a stretch. Pavel Francouz and Philipp Grubauer will each see action in the exhibition and then both will play during the round-robin games against the St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights.

"We're going to split the net tomorrow with the goalies, give them both some time in game action against a real opponent, and then I expect them to split the round-robin games as well," Bednar said on a video conference call following Tuesday's practice. "I would like to get both of those guys playing and get some games under their belt before we head into the playoffs. So our decision for starting goalie or Game 1 goalie for playoffs will be determined between now and then."

Bednar said he and the team's coaching staff have finalized their lineup for Wednesday but didn't say who was in (or out) as the players haven't been told of the decision yet. The Avs coach noted that it will likely be the same lineup that has been used during training camp, thus suggesting the battle among the players is likely for the 13th forward and seventh defenseman spots, which will be allowed for the exhibition.

The Avalanche practiced on Tuesday for the second time since arriving in Edmonton and returned to nearby Terwillegar Arena for the noon skate. Like it had been throughout much of the Phase 3 Training Camp, the players were split into two groups, with the majority of them taking part in the first skate.

Only defenseman Samuel Girard was missing on the ice, but his absence isn't anything serious.

"Main group was as it was in training camp, we had eight D and 13 forwards in that group, (Conor) Timmins being one of them as Girard was not on the ice today," Bednar said. "We expect him back tomorrow, and then everything else (in the day) was pretty much the same."

The other rear guards that skated in the early group were Mark Barberio, Ian Cole, Kevin Connauton, Ryan Graves, Erik Johnson, Cale Makar and Nikita Zadorov.

While the result of Wednesday's game probably matters even less than a typical preseason outing, one of the goals of the contest will be to have the players get used to playing the game at a high pace while competing against a formidable opponent.

It has been four and a half months since Colorado last played, but Graves says he isn't concerned about him or his teammates preparedness for the exhibition, the three-game round-robin and the ensuing playoffs. The Avalanche just finished 10 days of practices at Pepsi Center, which was preceded by three-plus weeks of smaller group skates.

"I'm not too worried about it as a personal aspect, but I think for our team, it's been almost a good thing for us," Graves said. "We had a lot of injuries during the year, so a lot of guys get back healthy so I think it's more of a good thing and a bad thing."

Bednar is equally confident on how the Avs will perform in the qualifiers based on how they responded throughout the regular season and with changes in last year's playoffs series against the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks.

"One of the reasons I'm encouraged about this playoffs is I think the consistency of our team and as the year went along and being able to fight through adversity and still have success," Bednar said. "It's a sign of a good strong team, with good strong character and so coming into this I know our guys are excited, and we're going to put our best foot forward."