Injured Avalanche players still out for Tuesday, Wedgewood in net
Apr 8, 2025, 12:51 PM
The Colorado Avalanche have just four games left in the regular season, the first of which is Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. With the No. 3 seed in the Central Division practically locked up for the team, it’s important to find the right balance between giving guys rest before the playoffs start and resting them too much to a point where they come out rusty for Game 1.
Martin Necas, Jonathan Drouin, Josh Manson and Sam Girard are all dealing with minor injuries that have kept them out of the lineup, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar decided that it was the best decision to give them another night to rest, as all four are out once again.
Necas and Manson are fighting with upper-body injuries while Drouin and Girard are dealing with lower-body injuries.
None of the day-to-day guys will play tonight for the Avs.
— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) April 8, 2025
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar also said that goaltender Scott Wedgewood will be in between the pipes at Ball Arena tonight. In his last seven starts, Wedgewood has allowed three or more goals just once, one shutout and one shootout performance in which he saved two of three shots against the Chicago Blackhawks last week.
Wedgewood’s .909 save percentage is the 17th-best in the NHL among players that have played more than 15 games. He has been one of the best backup goaltenders in the league, and keeping him fresh as the playoffs near is valuable for an Avs team that has nothing to play for at this moment. Avalanche fans know how valuable a backup goaltender can be after what Pavel Francouz did in the Western Conference Finals in 2022.
The Avalanche are still slight favorites over the Golden Knights in Tuesday’s game, despite being down a handful of key players. Puck drop from Ball Arena is set for 7:30 Denver time.
