Avalanche's Samuel Girard: In player assistance program
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Girard is on indefinite leave and has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
Girard missed Colorado's previous two games for personal reasons. He has a goal, four points, 15 hits and 25 blocks in 15 contests this season. While Girard is away from the team, Caleb Jones is likely to play regularly.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Unavailable Wednesday
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Girard (personal) won't play Wednesday versus Vancouver, per Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now.
Girard has a goal and four points in 15 contests this year. He also missed Monday's 4-3 loss to Nashville for personal reasons. When Girard is ready to return, he might push Caleb Jones out of the lineup.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Out for personal reasons
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Girard missed Monday's game against Nashville due to personal reasons, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.
Monday was Girard's second missed game of the year. There's currently no word on whether or not he's expected to play Wednesday against the Canucks.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Out Monday
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Girard (undisclosed) is not in Monday's lineup against Nashville, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post
Girard tallied three points over his last two games after missing his first contest of the year. The 25-year-old now has four points with a minus-7 rating through 15 games. It's unclear if his absence Monday is injury-related.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Offers helper
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Girard recorded an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and two blocked shots in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Stars.
Girard has earned three of his four points this season over his last two games. The 25-year-old blueliner missed Monday's game versus the Kraken with a minor undisclosed injury, and it appears the rest has served him well. He's added 18 shots on net, 15 hits, 25 blocks and a minus-7 rating through 15 appearances this season.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Picks up two points in return
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Girard scored a goal on three shots and added an assist in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Ducks.
Girard returned from a one-game absence due to an undisclosed injury. He played 22:22 in this contest and earned his first multi-point effort of the season to snap a 10-game point drought. The 25-year-old blueliner has just three points through 14 outings, and he's added 16 shots on net, 23 blocked shots, 13 hits and a minus-7 rating while often skating on the second pairing.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Expected to return
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Girard (undisclosed) is expected to play Wednesday versus the Ducks, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.
Girard sat out Sunday's practice and Monday's game versus the Kraken. The 25-year-old defenseman is expected to return to his second-pairing role, bumping Sam Malinski out of the lineup.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Held out of recent practice
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Girard did not participate in Sunday's practice, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports. He also was not in the lineup for Monday's win over Seattle.
Both Girard and Josh Manson, who also sat out Sunday's practice, were scratched Monday, fueling speculation the two defensemen might be battling injuries. Further to that point, head coach Jared Bednar told Peter Baugh of The Athletic on Monday that the team didn't have a hard practice Sunday because they were dinged up. Caleb Jones and Sam Malinski were called up to replace Girard and Manson. Their status should be made clearer Wednesday when the Avalanche host the Ducks.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Not playing Monday
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Girard is not in Monday's lineup against Seattle, per the NHL's media site.
Girard might be a healthy scratch due to his rough start to the 2023-24 campaign. He has just one assist with a minus-8 rating through 13 games. Sam Malinski will make his NHL debut in Girard's absence.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Picks up assist Tuesday
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Girard recorded an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.
Girard set up Mikko Rantanen's insurance tally in the third period. The helper was Girard's first point through three games this season. He's not on either power-play unit, which puts a damper on his potential for offense despite being in a top-four role. The 25-year-old blueliner has done alright in the non-scoring areas, supplying six shots on net, five hits and eight blocked shots so far.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: No role on power play
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Girard had three shots on goal, two blocked shots and one hit over 20:35 of ice time in Saturday's 2-1 shootout win over the Sharks.
Girard skated on the second pair once again and was part of the penalty kill unit that prevented the Sharks from scoring on four chances. He did not, however, skate on the power play for a second straight game. Girard had been deployed on the power play -- usually the second unit -- in all six previous seasons with Colorado. His usage on the man advantage unit greatly enhanced his fantasy value; 33 percent (58 of 178) of Girard's points with the Avalanche have come on the power play.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Manages power-play helper
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Girard logged a power-play assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Kraken in Game 4.
Girard set up the second of Mikko Rantanen's goals in the game. This was Girard's second helper in four playoff contests, and his first power-play point since March 27 versus the Ducks. The defenseman has added 10 hits, five blocked shots, three shots on goal and an even plus-minus rating while seeing top-four minutes.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Garners assist in win
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Girard logged an assist, three hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Kraken in Game 2.
Girard had the secondary helper on Devon Toews' go-ahead goal in the third period, which stood as the game-winner. This was Girard's fifth assist in the last eight contests and his first helper through two playoff outings. The 24-year-old was productive with a career-high 37 points, 119 shots on net and 116 blocked shots in 76 regular-season appearances. He'll fill a top-four role during the postseason.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Dishes pair of helpers
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Girard picked up two assists, blocked three shots and went plus-5 in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Sharks.
This was Girard's first multi-point effort since March 4. The defenseman helped out on Mikko Rantanen's 50th goal of the season as well as a Nathan MacKinnon tally in the second period that stood as the game-winner. Girard is up to a career-high 35 points (six goals, 29 assists) with 109 shots on net, 111 blocked shots, 64 hits and a minus-9 rating through 71 appearances.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Hands out assist
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Girard provided an assist, three hits and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Wild.
Girard has picked up a goal and an assist over his last two games after earning just one helpers over his previous seven outings. The 24-year-old defenseman is up to 33 points, one shy of his career high, with 107 shots on net, 104 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating through 68 contests this season.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Strikes on power play
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Girard scored a power-play goal on three shots in Monday's 5-1 win over the Ducks.
Prior to Monday, Girard had a modest four assists over 12 games since his last goal. He had the Avalanche's last tally in a dominant win Monday. The 24-year-old defenseman is up to six goals, 32 points, 105 shots on net, 103 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating through 67 outings. He needs two points to match his career high, which he set in 2019-20.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Picks up assist Monday
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Girard notched an assist and went plus-2 in Monday's 5-0 win over the Blackhawks.
Girard helped out on Logan O'Connor's third-period tally. The helper ended a three-game slump for Girard, who has four assists over nine contests since his last goal. The 24-year-old defenseman is up to 31 points (three shy of his career high) with 100 shots on net, 95 blocked shots, 55 hits and a minus-10 rating through 63 appearances this season.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Keeps rolling with assist
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Girard notched an assist in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Kings.
Girard set up an Evan Rodrigues tally in the second period. Through five games in March, Girard has racked up a goal and five helpers. The 24-year-old defenseman is up to five goals, 24 helpers, 91 shots on net, 87 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating through 58 contests. If he can hit the scoresheet one more time, he'll secure the third 30-point campaign of his career.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Records assist Tuesday
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Girard notched an assist and four blocked shots in Tuesday's 6-0 win over the Sharks.
Girard has a goal and four helpers over his last four games, though he's also gone minus-5 in that span. The 24-year-old is back on the second pairing now that Cale Makar has returned to action. Girard is up to 28 points through 56 outings this season, matching his point total from 67 contests a year ago. He's added 89 shots on net, 85 blocked shots, 54 hits and a minus-11 rating in 2022-23.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Three-point effort in loss
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Girard scored a goal and added two assists in a 7-3 loss to the Stars on Saturday.
His goal came late in the first when his slapper deflected off the stick of the Stars' Tyler Seguin and past Jake Oettinger. Girard hasn't been able to replicate his offensive success from 2020-21 (32 points in 48 games), but he's on pace to top his career high of 34 points, set in 2019-20.
