NHL Player News

Colton (upper body) won't play versus the Stars on Wednesday, per the NHL media site.

Colton will miss his fourth consecutive game. The 29-year-old forward's status hasn't been officially updated by the Avalanche since he was hurt March 10 versus the Oilers. Colton's next chance to play is Friday versus the Blackhawks.

Kuznetsov (upper body) isn't in the lineup Wednesday versus the Blues, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports.

Kuznetsov will miss his second straight game with the injury. The 23-year-old's absence continues to be covered by Hunter Brzustewicz, who will skate on the second pairing. Kuznetsov's next chance to play is Friday versus the Panthers.

Laba (lower body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Devils, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Laba didn't return after the second period. It's unclear if he will be available for Thursday's game against Columbus. If Laba can't play against the Blue Jackets, Juuso Parssinen or Jonny Brodzinski will probably enter the lineup.

Vaakanainen (upper body) will not return to Wednesday's game versus the Devils.

Vaakanainen's injury occurred in the first period, and he logged only 3:05 of ice time in the contest. Vincent Iorio will likely fill in if Vaakanainen can't play Thursday versus the Blue Jackets.

Vladar will guard the road goal versus the Ducks on Wednesday.

Vladar is 3-2-1 with a 2.69 GAA and an .894 save percentage over his last six games. All three of his wins in that span have come on the road. The Ducks have scored 17 goals over their last six contests, but they've also been shut out twice in that span.

Kampf (not injury related/personal) has not rejoined the Capitals for Wednesday's game versus the Senators, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Kampf returned to Vancouver on Sunday to be with his wife ahead of the birth of their second child. Kampf will be unavailable indefinitely until his child is born and his visa paperwork gets completed, which initially kept him out of the lineup after he was acquired from the Canucks at the trade deadline.

Girard (upper body) won't play Wednesday versus the Hurricanes.

Girard is set to miss his fifth straight contest due to the injury. That allows Connor Clifton the opportunity to stay in the lineup. Girard's next chance to play is Saturday versus the Jets, though that is the first half of a back-to-back set.

Hayes (upper body) won't return Wednesday versus the Hurricanes.

Hayes is set to miss his fourth straight game due to the injury. There's no guarantee he'll be in the lineup even when healthy, and his path to minutes is harder now that Sidney Crosby (lower body) is back from his injury.

Ivan was promoted from AHL Colorado on Wednesday.

The Avalanche seemingly want to switch away from a seven-defensemen lineup, and Ivan will come up as a 12th healthy forward. He'll likely fill a fourth-line role in Wednesday's contest against Dallas. Ivan will probably return to the AHL once the Avalanche get Ross Colton (upper body) back.

Murray posted a 32-save shutout in AHL Milwaukee's 4-0 win over Manitoba on Wednesday.

Murray collected his third shutout of the season and the 12th of his AHL career. The strong performance improved his record to 17-17-2 with a 2.72 GAA and a .908 save percentage through 37 appearances. Murray has won his last three outings and remains next in line if the Predators need goaltending depth in the NHL.