Might 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (40) throughout a double additional time interval in opposition to the Dallas Stars in sport six of the second spherical of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Enviornment. Necessary Credit score: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Photographs The Colorado Avalanche aren’t panicking about their goaltending after one poor efficiency, however they are not ready to repair a possible downside forward of Saturday night time’s residence opener in opposition to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Denver.
Colorado misplaced its season opener on the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night time, 8-4, in a sport the place each of its netminders struggled.
So, forward of their conflict with Columbus, the Avalanche claimed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
Kahkonen will not be obtainable Saturday night time; he should work via the immigration course of that coach Jared Bednar stated will take a few week.
However Bednar did acknowledge that bringing in one other goaltender may push Alexandar Georgiev and his backup, Justus Annunen, each of whom struggled in opposition to the Golden Knights.
“It is a participant with expertise. He is performed nicely in locations earlier than, and he is free and we have room,” Bednar stated of Kahkonen.
“We have seen higher from our goalies than we have seen right here just lately, and if they’ll elevate their sport, nice. And if Kahkonen can are available in and play nicely, nice. It is about successful hockey video games, and if we will get incrementally higher in any place, we’ll try to do it, particularly when there’s low danger concerned.”
Colorado did not have three vital items to begin the season — Valeri Nichushkin (suspension), Gabriel Landeskog (knee) and Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder surgical procedure) — and misplaced one other top-line ahead for the close to future. Jonathan Drouin suffered an upper-body harm within the loss to Vegas and can miss just a few video games, Bednar stated.
Whereas Bednar did not say who would take Drouin’s place on the highest line, Nikolai Kovalenko skated with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen throughout Friday’s follow, per Colorado Hockey Now.
The Blue Jackets are additionally dealing with adversity after captain Boone Jenner was misplaced for many of the season with a shoulder harm that required surgical procedure. Columbus was already coping with Dmitri Voronkov’s harm and the passing of Johnny Gaudreau.
Voronkov’s upper-body harm, which he suffered throughout a preseason sport on Oct. 3, is not as critical as first thought. He was anticipated to overlook months, however as a result of he will not require surgical procedure, he might return in late November.
The Blue Jackets should discover solutions till they get wholesome, however they left their 3-2 loss on the Minnesota Wild in Thursday night time’s season opener with some constructive takeaways.
“If we play like that, we’ll win lots of video games,” stated ahead Zach Werenski, who scored as soon as for Columbus.
“And that is what successful hockey appears to be like like and that is enjoyable hockey, so we’ll construct on it. We’ll study from some issues we did unsuitable, however I feel on the finish of the day we have now to play like that each night time and it is a good recipe for achievement.”
The Blue Jackets enter Saturday night time after an emotional opener. Thursday marked the group’s first regular-season sport because the tragic demise of Gaudreau on Aug. 29.
It was additionally coach Dean Evason’s first sport behind the bench for Columbus, which got here in opposition to a Minnesota group he coached for elements of 5 seasons.
–Discipline Stage Media