Kulak will join his third NHL team this season after spending stints in Edmonton and Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old defenseman has accompanied his team to the Stanley Cup Finals in two straight seasons and will add some stability and experience to Colorado's blueline. He has nine points (1G / 8A) and 77 blocks in 56 combined games this season.
Schwartz was a surprise scratch on Wednesday, with the Kraken not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Oscar Fisker-Molgaard will dress in his place.
Blackwood was excellent in his previous outing, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%), but received no goal support in a 2-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The 29-year-old Blackwood has strung together several strong outings, posting a dazzling 1.28 GAA and .953 SV% in his last four games (2-2-0). The Avalanche enter the action on Wednesday as sizeable -280 home favourites against Blackwood's former team, the San Jose Sharks, whom he recorded a 26-save shutout against in a 6-0 win in their previous meeting this season.
Blackwood was excellent in his previous outing, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%), but received no goal support in a 2-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The 29-year-old Blackwood has strung together several strong outings, posting a dazzling 1.28 GAA and .953 SV% in his last four games (2-2-0). The Avalanche enter the action on Wednesday as sizeable -280 home favourites against Blackwood's former team, the San Jose Sharks, whom he recorded a 26-save shutout against in a 6-0 win in their previous meeting this season.
Necas has missed the last two games and will not play in Colorado's final game before the Olympic Break, but is still expecting to gear up for Czechia at the tournament. It's encouraging news for the 27-year-old, who should draw back into the lineup after NHL action resumes on February 25th.
Colorado's Head Coach Jared Bednar previously reported that Landeskog was hopeful to play a game before the Winter Olympic break. Unfortunately, Landeskog will not play for Colorado, but he is still progressing as expected and is targeting a return for Sweden at the Olympics. The 33-year-old Landeskog has 22 points (7G / 15A) in 41 games this season and started to show signs of his old self before his injury, with 15 points (5G / 10A) in his last 19 games.
Necas did not play in Colorado's previous game because of a lower-body injury and will remain out of the lineup on Monday, but is hopeful to return to the lineup on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Czech forward is having a tremendous first full season with Colorado, scoring 62 points (22G / 40A) through 52 games. That said, he has been held off the scoresheet in four of his last five games.
Toews has been sidelined for four weeks because of an upper-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings. The league-leading Avalanche has played its worst hockey without Toews in the lineup, going 5-6-2, and will be eager for him to return. The 31-year-old Toews has 13 points (1G / 12A) in 40 games this season.
Colorado has struggled in recent weeks, but Blackwood emphatically helped them return to the win column in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings, saving all 28 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season. The shutout victory ended a four-game slide (1-3-0) during which Blackwood posted an ugly 3.84 GAA and .851 SV%. Colorado enters Monday's rematch as -190 home favourites against a Red Wings team that will be desperate to snap a three-game losing streak (0-2-1).
Colorado has struggled in recent weeks, but Blackwood emphatically helped them return to the win column in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings, saving all 28 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season. The shutout victory ended a four-game slide (1-3-0) during which Blackwood posted an ugly 3.84 GAA and .851 SV%. Colorado enters Monday's rematch as -190 home favourites against a Red Wings team that will be desperate to snap a three-game losing streak (0-2-1).
After serving as Mackenzie Blackwood's backup on Wednesday, Wedgewood will unsurprisingly get the nod for the tail-end of Colorado's back-to-back on Thursday. Wedgewood was unfortunate to be tagged with the loss in his last outing, allowing just a single goal on 17 shots in a shootout loss to the Ducks back on January 21st. Wedgewood has been outstanding when called upon this season, putting up a 20-3-5 record along with a .918 SV% across 30 appearances. The Avalanche enter action on Thursday at -125 on the money line.
Ross Colton (lower body) will return from a multi-game absence on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, resulting in Makar being a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Makar is averaging 6:22 time-on-ice and has zero points in nine games this season.
Svechkov only played four shifts in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins, exiting the game in the first period because of an upper-body injury. He appears to be no worse for wear, but has been assigned to Milwaukee (AHL). The 22-year-old Svechkov is averaging 12:03 time-on-ice and has nine points (2G / 7A) in 49 games with Nashville this season.
Middleton played a career-high 41 games with the Avalanche last season, but has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. The 27-year-old defenseman has nine points (2G / 7A) in 39 games with the Eagles (AHL) this season.
Colorado has battled some adversity lately, amid their worst 10-game stretch of the season (4-4-2), but received tremendous goaltending from Blackwood in their previous outing, saving 32 of 33 shots (.970 SV%) in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before that, the 29-year-old Blackwood has allowed 11 goals on 47 combined shots (.766 SV%) in his previous two games (0-2-0). He will look to build some momentum off of his recent victory, with the Avalanche entering Wednesday's contest as -137 road favorites against an Ottawa Senators team that is coming off an impressive 7-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Juulsen did not play in Philadelphia's previous game, but he will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old defenseman is averaging 14:06 time-on-ice and has eight points (1G / 7A) in 37 games this season.
