The Colorado Avalanche is set to field its healthiest lineup of the season, with the return of key forwards Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood, along with Valeri Nichushkin making his season debut after a lengthy suspension.
However, starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, leading to Justus Annunen starting against the Washington Capitals. Georgiev's recent performance had shown improvement, but his absence raises concerns for the team.