Avalanche Injuries Week-to-Week

The Colorado Avalanche is taking its injuries week-to-week, as that's what the status is for each of the six players currently out of the lineup.
Head coach Jared Bednar gave an update on the team's full training room following morning skate as the Avalanche prepares for its outing this evening versus the Minnesota Wild. While it doesn't appear that any of the six Avs will miss significant time at this point, none will be available during the two-game homestand at Ball Arena and are doubtful to play in this weekend's back-to-back contests at the St. Louis Blues.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (lower body), Matt Calvert (upper body), Pavel Francouz (lower body), Erik Johnson (upper body), Nathan MacKinnon (lower body) and Devon Toews (lower body) all have a week-to-week diagnosis, with four of them getting hurt in the past three games. Bednar will give injury updates at the start of every week.
"What I would like to do is update everyone whenever my first meeting with the media is next week, I'll field some more questions on the injured guys [then]," Bednar said. "Until then I'll just kind of give you that week-to-week update."

MacKinnon is the most recent player added to Colorado's infirmary as he didn't play in the third period of Colorado's 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild on Sunday. He leads the team with 14 points and 12 assists through 10 games.
"It's not a situation where he's back and ready to play for us tomorrow," Bednar said of MacKinnon.
Forward J.T. Compher will take MacKinnon's spot to start tonight game on the top line with wingers Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, a position he has been in previously during his five-year NHL career.
"Any time that I get to play with [Gabriel Landeskog], Nate when he's healthy, you know it's a good opportunity," Compher said. "We know how great Nate has been for us over the last few years and to start the year. With that said, I'm not Nate. Gabe and Mikko, we're on the same page and I need to just play my game, support those guys and do what I can to help the team win."

Bellemare left late in the first period of last Thursday's contests versus the San Jose Sharks following a collision in the neutral zone, while Toews is out and did not travel to Minnesota this past weekend after blocking a shot off his foot in the third frame of that same outing against the Sharks.
"Toews information, not as good as what we would like," Bednar said of the defenseman. "It's a lower body and he's week-to-week. It's not day-to-day, he's not coming back here any time in the next couple games."
Johnson's injury is also recent as he got hurt early in the Saturday's 5-1 victory at the Wild, while Calvert last played on Jan. 24 at the Anaheim Ducks.
Francouz has yet to see game action this season after sustaining a lower-body injury during practice on Jan. 18, and he is making gradual improvement in his recovery. Hunter Miska has served as the backup goaltender for starter Philipp Grubauer over the last two weeks.
"He's continuing his rehab and working off the ice," Bednar said of Francouz. "He has not been on the ice again, and I'm not sure when that is going to change."
Count them all up, and the Avalanche has had 22 man-games lost this season.
The Colorado is 1-0-1 so far against the Wild in its first-ever four-game series against an opponent in the regular season. The teams will also face-off again on Thursday at Ball Arena.

LINEUP NOTES

The Avalanche line of Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri and Brandon Saad will be the only forward group that won't see any changes to it for tonight's contest.
Compher will move up to MacKinnon's spot the top line, while Tyson Jost will take Compher's previous position between Joonas Donskoi and Valeri Nichushkin. Colorado's fourth line will enlist Logan O'Connor and Kiefer Sherwood at the wings and center Sheldon Dries, who will make his season debut.
On defense, Jacob MacDonald will play his second-straight contest and the fourth of his NHL career, doing so on a pairing with Ryan Graves.
Philipp Grubauer will start in net for Colorado after he led all goaltenders with six wins and two shutouts (tied) in the month of January. He ranks fifth in the league in goals-against average (1.75) and ninth in save percentage (.930).
View: Avalanche Projected Lineup vs. Wild

NOTEWORTHY

The Avs have won three straight home games, outscoring the opposition 18-3, and have earned points in a season-best four straight games (3-0-1).
The Avalanche owns a 7-3-1 all-time mark on Groundhog Day.
Colorado finished with a 6-3-1 record in January, its 10th straight month above .500 dating back to February 2019. Only once before has the franchise posted 10 straight winning months, March 2000 to October 2001 (also 10 straight).
Brandon Saad (four goals, three assists), Joonas Donskoi (three goals, one assists) and Cale Makar (one goal, five assists) are all on four-game point streaks, with Donskoi and Makar one shy of tying their respective career longs.
Gabriel Landeskog needs one goal to tie Peter Forsberg (202) for the third-most all-time in an Avalanche sweater, and Andre Burakovsky needs two points for 200 in his career.

ONE TIMERS

J.T. Compher on the team's next-man-up mentality:
"I think we've had this part of our culture the last few years. We've dealt with injuries, regular season, playoffs, and we know we have the guys that are capable of stepping up and the guys that can fill in wherever in the lineup we need. It's been that way for a few years, and we just have to keep pushing in the right direction, keep playing as a team and pick up those guys who aren't in the lineup."
Sheldon Dries on his offseason training:
"Skating for sure, this team is built around speed. Obviously getting bigger and stronger. Everyone knows my size, I'm a smaller guy, but I have a lot of heart, a lot of grit. If I come up with some pucks in the corners, it's kind of my job. So the speed aspect for sure, working with skills coach a little bit, but obviously getting stronger, that's the main thing."
Jacob MacDonald on playing for his favorite childhood team:
"That was one of the first things I thought of when I pulled the sweater over my head for warmups (last game). It's just a really cool feelings. Words can't describe it--you're living your dream. Just being able to come in here and contribute and doing everything I can to help this team win."
Head coach Jared Bednar on the new-look penalty kill:
"I think the penalty kill is No. 1 in the league right now, they're doing a nice job of getting their clears. Guys like Cale [Makar], [Samuel] Girard, Bowen Byram, those guys are going to kill penalties, especially when you have injuries like this. They're going to kill more than they normally do, so it means more ice time for those guys. But they're using their skills in the right areas to help get pucks down, using their legs. They're intelligent players and they all play the power play, so they understand what the power play is trying to accomplish and where they're trying to get the puck, and it's making them great penalty killers. You know it's great, the more guys we have that can kill penalties and make sure we're winning the two-minute game, the better."