Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Expected to play Saturday

Girard (lower body) is slated to play in his first preseason game Saturday in Dallas, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

Girard started off training camp in a non-contact jersey and now appears in line to be ready for Opening Night in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The veteran defenseman had three goals, 21 assists, 95 shots on goal and 111 blocked shots across 73 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.