49 Samuel Girard D

Girard had an assist, two hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks in Game 7.

Girard posted two helpers and 11 blocked shots over nine postseason appearances. The soon-to-be 21-year-old blueliner will be looking to build on the 27 points he posted across 82 regular-season contests as he enters his third NHL season in 2019-20.

Girard picked up an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Sharks in Game 3.

It's the defenseman's first point in eight career postseason games. Girard missed the last three games of the Avalanche's first-round series with an upper-body injury, but has returned to the lineup on the third pairing for the second round. He's currently alongside Cale Makar, a combination that could provide depth scoring from the blue line if the Avalanche are to overcome their 2-1 deficit in the series.

Girard paired with Cale Makar for Sunday's Game 2 win over the Sharks, Ron Knabenbauer of NHL.com reports. They combined to have nine shots, five on goal.

Girard previously paired with Erik Johnson. "I just thought Makar had a real good impact last game, and I was expecting Girard to be better after missing some time," coach Jared Bednar said after Sunday's victory. "He looked a bit rusty (in Game 1). Tough to create offense against this team, they check real hard. Getting those two guys together can help us as a five-man unit and help produce offense."

Girard (upper body) will dress for Friday's Game 1 against the Sharks, Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports.

Girard missed the final three games of the team's opening-round upset of Calgary, but he's doing well enough to rejoin the mix on the back end. Either Cale Makar or Patrick Nemeth will come out of the lineup unless the Avalanche opt to roll with seven defensemen for the contest.

According to Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, Girard (upper body) didn't practice Wednesday, but he has a "good chance" of being healthy for the conference semifinals, Rick Sadowski of NHL.com reports.

The Avs reportedly will make an official call on Girard in the next couple of days. Colorado is scheduled to take on the Sharks for Game 1 of the second playoff round Friday, so we'd keep an eye out for another update prior to that contest, with the official start time still to be determined.

Girard (upper body) was unable to shed his non-contact jersey for Tuesday's practice, Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports.

We issued a similar update four days ago. Until Girard starts taking contact in practice, one cannot realistically expect him to get the green light to play. Meanwhile, the Avalanche are awaiting their opponent for the conference semifinals.

Girard (upper body) remained in a non-contact sweater ahead of Friday's Game 5 playoff contest against the Flames, Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports.

This effectively rules out Girard for a road contest that could see the Avalanche skate off with a series win. Newly minted Hobey Baker Award winner Cale Maker -- who found twine in his NHL debut for Game 2 -- will continue to be relied upon as a direct replacement for the injured Girard.

Girard (upper body) will not make his return to the lineup for Wednesday's Game 4 against the Flames, but he's getting closer to rejoining the action, Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports.

Girard will miss out on his second straight game because of the upper-body issue, but his progress is an encouraging sign ahead of Game 5 on Friday. The blueliner should retake his spot on the top pairing when healthy, with Ian Cole working alongside Erik Johnson in the meantime.

Girard (upper body) might be available versus Calgary on Wednesday, Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports.

After appearing in all 82 games this season, Girard missed Game 3 due to his upper-body issue. The blueliner is stuck in a 19-game goal drought, but has managed seven helpers over that stretch. Even if Girard is given the green light to play, he could find himself relegated to the press box in favor of Cale Makar.

Girard (upper body) will not play in Monday's Game 3 against the Flames, Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun reports.

It's unclear when or how Girard picked up the injury, but he will be unavailable for a pivotal Game 3. Girard will be sorely missed, as he's usually deployed on the top defensive pair and on the second power-play unit. In his stead, however, rookie Cale Makar will make his NHL debut and will likely see a decent amount of ice time.

Girard posted two assists in the season finale 5-2 loss to the Sharks on Saturday.

The 20-year-old missed a shot to beat his rookie mark in the goal department, but his two assists added to his career best in points. Girard put together a very good second NHL season with four goals, 26 points and a plus-8 rating playing in all 82 games during 2018-19. He also posted 116 shots on net, 90 blocks and 65 hits.

Girard dished out a pair of helpers in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Stars.

This was only Girard's second multi-point performance since Nov. 27. The 20-year-old blueliner has been terrific considering his age, but he's not ready to be an offensive force at the NHL level.

Girard tallied a goal on his only shot and posted a minus-2 rating in a 4-3 loss to the Sharks on Friday.

The 20-year-old isn't much of an offensive force yet, but he is on pace to set new career highs. He's matched his rookie season mark in the goals category with four and is three shy of doing the same in the points department. Girard could best his rookie season in the plus/minus, blocks and hits categories, too. He has four goals, 20 points, a plus-3 rating, 68 blocks and 45 hits in 65 games this season.

Girard produced his 16th helper in a 5-0 win over the Predators on Saturday.

Facing his former team, Girard made sure to show them what they've been missing. The 20-year-old blueliner is up to 19 points in 62 games, making it possible for him to match the 23 points he had between the Predators and Avalanche last year. He's still likely a couple years away from more widespread fantasy relevance.

Girard had assists on both of his team's goals in a 5-2 defeat against Toronto on Tuesday.

Those two points matched his total for all of December and January, and he's now scored four points in six February games. He might be coming out of his long hibernation and is worth monitoring because of the possibility for assists with Colorado's powerful top line.

Girard has produced only two points -- both assists -- since the beginning of December.

The cold spell is particularly alarming since Girard is heavily relied upon for power-play production, with the defenseman averaging 2:08 of ice time in that spot this season. He does have eight man-advantage helpers among 14 total points through 50 games, but it would be worth combing through your league's free-agent list to see if there is a viable alternative while Girard is mired in such a deep scoring funk.

Girard picked up two assists in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Predators.

Girard led all Avalanche skaters with 2:24 of power-play time against Nashville. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old has managed only a goal and 11 points through 24 games this season.

Girard tallied a power-play helper in Tuesday's matchup against Columbus.

Girard has earned an assist in back-to-back games while averaging 21:25 of ice time -- well above his 2017-18 minutes with Colorado (17:42). The 2016 47th overall pick figures to take on a significantly increased role this season, which could have him poised to top his point total from last year (23).

Girard was uninjured in a single-vehicle accident Sunday, RDS.ca reports.

According to reports, Girard fell asleep behind the wheel, causing the vehicle to leave the road. The Quebec native doesn't appear to have suffered any injuries and neither alcohol nor speed has been considered a factor. After coming over from Nashville as part of the Matt Duchene trade, the 19-year-old tallied 20 points in 68 games for the Avs and should be a mainstay on the club's blue line this upcoming season.

Girard (upper body) will play Game 5 against the Predators on Friday.

The 19-year-old blueliner hasn't played since Game 1 when he logged 22:07 of ice time and fired four shots on goal. Girard will look to help his squad stay alive in this elimination matchup against the team that drafted him 47th overall in 2016.