The Avalanche’s blueline will be without one of its regulars on Saturday, as defenseman Samuel Girard is expected to miss time with an upper-body injury.
Girard was not available for the majority of training camp and preseason before playing in the exhibition finale. He dressed in each of the first two regular-season games but suffered an injury somewhere along the way on Thursday.
Following the home opener, Girard was seen near the X-ray room just as Jared Bednar was starting his post-game press conference.
The Avs have depth on the back end this season, but their biggest issue is the lack of true left-shot defensemen. They played the first two games with four righties, one of whom, Sam Malinski, was playing on the left.
Now, without Girard, who was on the second pair, they’ll likely turn to recent waiver claim Ilya Solovyov, but it’s unlikely that he’ll replace the minutes that Girard was playing.
It’s more likely we’ll see Josh Manson on the left with Brent Burns to allow Malinski and Solovyov to round out the third pair.
Colorado hosts the Dallas Stars Saturday at Ball Arena.
