Pavel Francouz has been aware of Kirill Kaprizov’s skill since they played against each other in the KHL. He knows the talent the Wild star possesses — talent Kaprizov showed off earlier Monday afternoon by putting two shots behind the Avalanche netminder.
But shootouts are Francouz’s time. When Kaprizov skated toward him, he waited calmly, his glove outstretched.
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“I was just trying to be patient,” Francouz said. “He got really close, so I tried to put my glove really close, and he put it in.”
Francouz held on to the puck and held on to an Avalanche win. Mikko Rantanen, who scored the Avalanche’s shootout goal, skated out to greet him.
Francouz’s shootout wizardry has carried the Avalanche to two of their previous three victories. He didn’t allow a goal to Arizona on three shootout attempts Friday, then went 3-for-3 against Minnesota on Monday. Colorado beat the Wild 4-3.
During the Coyotes game, Alex Newhook remembers leaning over to a teammate on the bench. “I like Frankie in shootouts,” he remembers saying.
“I don’t know what it is,” Newhook said of the Avalanche’s left-handed goalie. “Every time we do it in practice, I find it hard to score about him. I think there’s something about southpaws in net in shootouts. It changes the way guys approach a shootout.”
“Real patient. Explosive,” coach Jared Bednar added. “He’s tracking the puck real well in there. He just looks real confident.”
Nathan MacKinnon, who had two points Monday, including the 600th of his career, also praised Francouz’s patience in shootout situations. The netminder, sitting next to his teammate during the postgame news conference, used the praise as a moment for a self-deprecating joke.
“I’m usually three steps behind his hands, so I’m so late, I’m in the right spot,” he said.
The 31-year-old Francouz, who played three seasons in the KHL before coming to Colorado in 2018-19, has stopped all nine shots he’s seen in NHL shootouts. The Avalanche are 3-0-0 in those games.
Unfortunately for Colorado, the only reason Francouz was in the game was because of an injury to Darcy Kuemper. Midway through the second period, the starting goalie took a hit from Jordan Greenway as the Minnesota forward skated across the crease. Greenway’s upper arm hit Kuemper’s head, and the Avalanche netminder remained face-down on the ice.
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“I see (Greenway) coming across the front of the net and then readjust his route and go right into Kuemper,” Bednar said, adding he wants the NHL to look into whether the play warrants supplemental discipline. “Looks like it’s intentional to me and he gets his head.”
Colorado defenseman Kurtis MacDermid went after Greenway immediately, bringing the forward down and landing a series of punches. Both players earned fighting penalties, and Greenway received a two-minute goaltender interference penalty. MacDermid, meanwhile, was called for roughing (two minutes) and also earned a 10-minute misconduct.
Kuemper initially stayed in the game — Bednar said the concussion spotters were trying to pull him off the ice but the officials were getting ready to drop the puck — but left at the next whistle. The coach didn’t have an update on Kuemper’s status and, when asked, didn’t say if the goalie had suffered a concussion.
“We’ll see tomorrow how he responds,” he said.
Francouz had a solid game in relief of Kuemper, stopping 25 of 27 shots. Interestingly, he has a pedestrian .883 save percentage in three starts this season but an impressive .934 save percentage in the two contests he’s entered midgame.
Kuemper and Francouz have NHL track records, but the Avalanche don’t have any other netminders who have proved capable of consistent NHL action, which could be problematic if Kuemper is out long-term. Hunter Miska struggled in limited action last season, and prospect Justus Annunen is still adjusting to more compact North American rinks. The 21-year-old Finn, currently in the AHL, has an .863 save percentage in two NHL games this season.
Jonas Johansson served as Kuemper’s primary backup this season while Francouz recovered from a sprained ankle, but the team waived him when Francouz returned to health. In an ideal world for Colorado, he would have stayed with the organization, but the Panthers plucked him off waivers, so he’s no longer an option.
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The Avalanche have a back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday against the Ducks and Kings. Unless Kuemper is back, Francouz will either have to start both games or the Avalanche will have to turn to an inexperienced goalie in one contest.
Kuemper has a .908 save percentage on the season and a 17-5-1 record. Since returning from an upper-body injury Dec. 8, he has a .916 save percentage.
“(Entering after an injury) is the worst-case scenario because you see your teammate go down,” Francouz said. “It’s really tough to see that.”
(Photo of Pavel Francouz and Kirill Kaprizov: Michael Martin / NHLI via Getty Images)
Peter Baugh is a staff writer for The Athletic NHL based in New York. He has previously been published in the Columbia Missourian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Kansas City Star, Politico and the Washington Post. A St. Louis native, Peter graduated from the University of Missouri and previously covered the Missouri Tigers and the Colorado Avalanche for The Athletic. Follow Peter on Twitter @Peter_Baugh
