The Colorado Avalanche will hit the ice on Sunday evening at Ball Arena against the Philadelphia Flyers, looking to build on their fantastic 5-0 Friday night win over the St. Louis Blues.
The Avs have been on a bit of a slide over their last 10 games, registering a 4-5-1 mark. That lackluster record has led the team to fall behind the Minnesota Wild in their case for third place in the Central Division.
Nevertheless, the Avalanche are firmly in control of the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference. The Avs’ 62 points are five more than the Calgary Flames who hold the second wildcard spot in the conference.
The Flames are neck-and-neck with the Vancouver Canucks for the last playoff spot in the West. As such, the Avs don’t need to worry about falling off a playoff spot at this point. However, the Avs cannot afford to lose any points as the clock begins to tick down on the season.
In fact, the Avs’ next two games are against said Canucks and Flames clubs. That is why the Avalanche must build momentum against a Flyers team that has essentially raised the white flag on the season. The Flyers are sinking fast in the Eastern Conference despite going 5-4-1 in their last 10.
The Colorado Avalanche have a good chance to make up some ground on Sunday evening while building crucial momentum as they take on three key Pacific Division opponents next week.
Colorado Avalanche injury report
The Colorado Avalanche are finally as close to fully healthy as they’ve been all season long. The Avalanche’s injury report shows Valeri Nichushkin and Oliver Kylington on IR.
Nichushkin originally hit the injured list on January 2 after leaving the Avs New Year’s Eve game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Since then, Nichushkin suffered a “setback,” prompting the team to leave him on IR as he’s considered week-to-week.
There’s no timetable for Nichuskin’s return. In the meantime, the Avs have missed Nichushkin’s combination of grit and talent in their top six.
As for Kylington, he’s been out since late November with an undisclosed injury. It’s been a tough year for Kylington who had been looking to get his career back on track. However, injuries have limited his ability to find his game this season.
Also, backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood left practice on Saturday with an undiscolsed ailment. The situation was serious enough to warrant the Avs to recall Trent Miner from the AHL. Weddgewood has spent time on the shelf this season. Fortunately, Miner has played well enough at the NHL level this season.
Scott Wedgewood was absent from practice today.
— Meghan Angley (@megangley) February 1, 2025
Trent Miner has been recalled by the Avs.
Hopefully, Miner's recall is nothing more than a precautionary measure for the Avalanche as they look to protect Wedgewood from re-aggravating the lower-body injury he suffered earlier this year.