The Colorado Avalanche will play their third game of the 2020-21 season without Andre Burakovsky or Pavel Francouz on the active roster. Both have suffered minor injuries and are day-to-day at this stage. The Athletic’s Peter Baugh announced the lineup changes early Tuesday afternoon.
Burakovsky is day-to-day with an upper body injury.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) January 19, 2021
Avalanche Lose Andre Burakovsky and Pavel Francouz
Burakovsky was off to a blistering start this year. The 25-year-old wing has two goals, both on the power-play, and three points in the team’s first two games. He was the team’s lone bright spot in the opening loss to the St. Louis Blues and chipped in two points during the dominant 8-0 victory on January 15th. Francouz had not played yet this year, but the 30-year-old goalie was a fantastic option last season with 21 wins in 34 appearances. The veteran Czech posted a .923 save percentage and 2.41 goals-against-average. It’s not clear how much he would play in this year’s 56-game sprint, but he will be a factor at some point if his current ailment clears up quickly.
The Avs originally acquired Burakovsky via a trade with the Washington Capitals and extended him after a breakout first season in Denver. He scored a career-high 20 goals and 45 points in 58 games. He had never reached 40 points in any of his five seasons with the Caps. Francouz signed as an international free agent after a dominant career overseas in the Czech Republic and Russia. Both have been smart investments from Colorado’s front office.
How Colorado Compensates
As the announcement indicates, the Avalanche will deploy 11 forwards and seven defencemen for their upcoming battle with the Los Angeles Kings. Erik Johnson makes his debut after missing the first two games while clearly the league’s COVID health protocols. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff adjusts for at least one game.
They have also activated goalie Hunter Miska off of the taxi squad and moved Adam Werner up to fill his spot with that group. Philipp Grubauer will handle starting duties while Francouz heals.
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