Dubnyk wins in Avs debut; Grubauer out weeks with COVID-19
Apr 15, 2021, 6:27 AM
In his Avalanche debut, newly acquired goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves to earn the win as Colorado held on to beat the St. Louis Blues, 4-3.
“It was okay,” Dubnyk said of his performance. “I think a little sloppy at the start, just the rebounds sitting around. Obviously, there were a few nerves for me with the new team. Got away with it and felt a little better. I settled in as the game went on.”
He’ll need to settle in quickly, because for at least the remainder of April, Dubnyk, a 10-year veteran, will take over the No. 1 goalie role for the Avalanche following Vezina candidate Philipp Grubauer’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
“It’ll be more than 14 days before he’s back wearing a jersey for us,” said head coach Jared Bednar, explaining Grubauer’s situation. “I don’t love the time off. I think when you’re playing real well as a goalie — or any player — you want to keep playing games and want to stay active and stay in that groove, and that’s where ‘Grubi’s’ been for us all year.”
A second-period flurry of goals gave the Avalanche a 4-1 lead that they would not surrender, as J.T. Compher, Mikko Rantanen and Brandon Saad all scored to add on to Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare’s goal in the first period.
The third period was another story. The Avalanche, whose players received the coronavirus vaccine on their off-day yesterday, looked lethargic and surrendered two goals, but managed to do just enough to hang on for the win.
“The first 40 minutes, I liked it a lot,” Bednar said. “I was a little bit nervous about it; guys weren’t feeling well yesterday, and then today, not being able to skate this morning, I don’t think helped us, but I think the guys got a little extra rest. They put in a little extra in warm-up, and they came out really good.”
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NEXT UP: Avalanche (30-9-4, 64 pts) vs. Kings (16-20-6, 38 pts) | Friday, Apr. 16 at 7:00 p.m. | TV: ESPN+.
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TEAM NOTES
• Jared Bednar coached his 359th career game on Wednesday, drawing even with Bob Hartley for the Avalanche franchise record in regular-season games. Bednar’s career record moved to 175-145-39 (.542), with the regular-season win total ranking second behind Hartley’s 193. Hartley, however, has 47 more playoff appearances than Bednar, and his 49-31 (.613) record betters Bednar’s 18-15 (.545)… including the Avalanche’s second Stanley Cup in the 2000-01 season.
• The Avalanche reached 30 wins in its 43rd game, the fastest in franchise history by a significant margin. The 2013-14 and 2000-01 clubs each that mark in 47 games.
• With their seventh win in April on Wednesday, the Avalanche have already set a new franchise record for wins in that month. With eight more games left to play before May, if Colorado wins five of them, they’ll double the old record of six.
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PLAYER NOTES
• Devan Dubnyk won his first start for the Avalanche on Wednesday, and the veteran netminder will be relied upon to pick up the slack in Philipp Grubauer’s absence. Dubnyk, 34, debuted in the NHL in 2009, and since then, he ranks sixth in games played (538), is 10th in wins (251) and ranks ninth in saves (15,001). He had four straight seasons of 30 or more wins with the Wild, earning a nod as a Vezina Trophy finalist in the 2014-15 season.
• Nathan MacKinnon keeps rolling along, extending his scoring streak to 11 games with an assist on Wednesday. He’s had seven goals and 11 assists in that span, and can climbed up to fourth place in the NHL with 53 points (17 goals, 36 assists).
• Liam O’Brien had two assists on Wednesday for the first multi-point game of his career. O’Brien now has three points on the season; a new career high, surpassing the two he had with the Capitals in the 2014-15 season.
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THE FINAL WORD
“It’s crazy to think back at all the rowdy nights we had on the other side in Denver. I am excited to play in front of some home fans; obviously haven’t had that opportunity this year. It is an exciting opportunity for me, this is obviously one of the best teams in the league. I’ve been on the other side of their firepower many times, so it’s nice to be on the right side.” — Devan Dubnyk.
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INJURY WATCH
• Philipp Grubauer (COVID-19 protocol) will miss “more than 14 days,” according to head coach Jared Bednar on Apr. 14. He is expected to return around May 1.
• Bowen Byram (COVID-19 protocol) will be out until at least late April.
• Logan O’Connor (lower-body injury) was placed on injured reserve on Apr. 2. He is expected to be out indefinitely, but it would be a surprise if returned before early May.
• Matt Calvert (upper-body injury) missed the Mar. 31 game and was placed on the injured list on Apr. 11.
• Conor Timmins (upper-body injury) missed the Mar. 8 game and has not played since.
• Dennis Gilbert (facial injury, COVID-19 protocol) was placed on injured reserve on Feb. 20. He is expected to be out until at least late March.
• Erik Johnson (upper-body injury) left the Jan. 30 game and has no projected return date. On March 25, coach Jared Bednar suggested that it was possible that Johnson could miss the remainder of the season.
• Pavel Francouz (hip) has yet to play this season and remains on injured reserve. On Apr. 12, the Avalanche ruled him out for the rest of the season following hip surgery.
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LAST NIGHT’S LINES
FORWARDS:
Top Line: LW Gabriel Landeskog, C Nathan MacKinnon, RW Mikko Rantanen
Second Line: LW Andre Burakovsky, C Nazem Kadri, RW Valeri Nichushkin
Third Line: LW Brandon Saad, C Tyson Jost, RW Carl Soderberg
Fourth Line: LW Liam O’Brien, C Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, RW J.T. Compher
DEFENSEMEN:
Top Pair: LD Devon Toews, RD Samuel Girard
Second Pair: LD Ryan Graves, RD Cale Makar
Third Pair: LD Conor Timmins, RD Jacob McDonald
GOALTENDERS:
Starter: Devan Dubnyk
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Shawn Drotar is the host of “The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar;” weeknights from 10:00 p.m. to midnight — only on 104.3 The Fan. Follow him on Twitter at @sdrotar.
