It may only be the preseason but Colorado Avalanche hockey is back and it’s back where last season ended. The Avalanche will open their preseason schedule this evening as they head to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights.
Time: 8:00 PM Mountain Time
Location: T-Mobile Arena
Broadcast/Streaming: NHL Network
Opponent SB Nation Site: Knights on Ice
Monday afternoon, the team cut down their training camp roster when they re-assigned five players. Defenders Miles Gendron, Robert Hamilton and forward Benjamin Tardif have been sent back to the AHL Eagles while Jack O’Brien (WHL) and Matej Kaslik (QMJHL) were sent to their junior teams.
For tonight’s game, we will see a number of young faces in the lineup including 2020 and 2021 first round picks Justin Barron and Oskar Olausson. It will also be the first chance for PTO signees Jack Johnson and Artem Anisimov to take a step towards earning a contract for the season.
It will also be the first time we get to see Pavel Francouz back in the net after he missed all of last season with a injury.
As is often the case with road preseason games, the Avs are not sending their top players. The entire top-6 forward group and top-4 defense, along with presumptive starting goalie Darcy Kuemper should all make their preseason debut Thursday night at home against the Minnesota Wild.
Lineup:
Forwards: Jayson Megna, Val Nuchushkin, Shane Bowers, Logan O’Connor, Oskar Olausson, Artem Anisimov, Gabriel Fontaine, Darren Helm, Cal Burke, Nick Henry, Dalton Smith, Alex Beaucage
Defense: Jack Johnson, Bo Byram, Jacob MacDonald, Keaton Middleton, Justin Barron, Andreas Englund
Goalies: Pavel Francouz, Jonas Johansson
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