Grubauer's 100th Win Puts Him Among Elite Germans

Philipp Grubauer has stayed busy this month but the heavy workload hasn't affected his performance in the crease.
This March has been the busiest month in franchise history for the Colorado Avalanche with the team is playing 17 games over 31 days, and Grubauer has appeared in 14 of the first 16 contests. So far, he owns an 11-2-1 record in that time and could get the start again on Wednesday when the Avs close out the month against the Arizona Coyotes.
"It's good, I like it," Grubauer said of the demanding schedule. "Like I said before, I feel like we're playing the right way and getting into a rhythm and playing the right way moving into the playoffs. That is what we need right now, so I'm really comfortable with the heavy workload."

Grubauer won his 11th game of March on Monday at Ball Arena by making 13 saves in a 5-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks, setting a new record for the most victories in a single month in franchise history. Semyon Varlamov (March 2014), Craig Anderson (October 2009), Peter Budaj (March 2007) and Dan Bouchard (February 1981) were previously tied with 10 wins apiece.
Among goalies around the league with qualified statistics, he presently ranks in the top five in goals-against average (1.74, third) and save percentage (.929, fourth-tied) and is first with five shutouts and 21 wins (tied). The Rosenheim, Germany, native is 9-0-1 in his last 10 decisions, which included a career-long eight-game winning streak from March 10-25.

"Grubi has been playing fantastic. He feels good," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. "He just broke that record for most wins in a month by a goaltender, and he's rested and feeling good."
Monday's victory was also the 100th of his career, and he became just the third German goaltender to reach the century mark in the NHL. The others were Olaf Kolzig (303) and current Detroit Red Wings netminder Thomas Greiss (139).
Joining the list of elite German keepers was special for Grubauer as Kolzig was his goaltending coach for a season in 2013-14 while he was a young player in the Washington Capitals organization, and he remembers watching "Olie the Goalie" play as a kid during the keeper's time between the pipes for Washington from 1989-2008.

"Olie was definitely one of the goalies I idolized. When I got to meet him in Washington, it was almost like a dream come true," Grubauer said joining his fellow Germans on the list. "You watch him growing up, you watch him make some crazy saves on TV and all of a sudden you're standing in front of him and he's your goalie coach one year. That was incredible."
Kolzig ended up winning the Stanley Cup as a development coach with the Capitals in 2018, the same team that Grubauer was also a member of. And while being just the third German to win 100 games in the league is a nice accomplishment, Grubauer's focus is adding a second championship to his resume.
"Obviously 100 is nice to get, but the goal here is the Stanley Cup," Grubauer said. "It's just a nice personal goal, but I think we have a bigger goal in mind and that's the Stanley Cup."

BYRAM UPDATE

Bowen Byram took part in Tuesday's optional practice at Family Sports Center and could return to game action when the Avs begin a two-game series against the St. Louis Blues on Friday and Saturday in Denver.
"He worked out twice yesterday and stayed off the ice. He's skating this morning," said head coach Jared Bednar of Byram. "Looks like things are going pretty well. He's not going to be an option for us for tomorrow, but then we'll reevaluate and see if he's going to be good for us for the weekend."
The rookie defenseman has missed Colorado's past two contests after suffering an upper-body injury in Thursday's outing against the Vegas Golden Knights.