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Girard (lower body) will be good to go for Saturday's game against the Rangers, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports.
Girard sat out Friday's practice, but he will be available for Saturday's matinee matchup against the Rangers. After being acquired in a trade with Colorado on Tuesday, he had one shot on goal and four blocked shots in 17:53 of ice time against New Jersey on Thursday.
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Penguins' Samuel Girard: Dealing with lower-body issue
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Girard missed practice Friday while being evaluated for a lower-body injury.
Girard appears to have been injured in his Penguins debut against the Devils on Thursday. In that outing, the 27-year-old defenseman made four blocks, which may have resulted in his injury. If Girard does miss any time, it will open up a spot in the lineup for Ryan Graves or Ilya Solovyov.
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Penguins' Samuel Girard: Traveling with team
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Girard (lower body) will join the team for its trip to New York on Saturday, Dan Potash of Sportsnet Pittsburgh reports.
Girard is still being evaluated for his lower-body injury, but the fact that he is traveling with the team should bode well for his availability. In his first game with the Pens, the 27-year-old blueliner registered four blocks and one shot while logging 17:53 of ice time. If Girard does miss any time, it will likely open up a spot in the lineup for Ryan Graves or Ilya Solovyov.
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Penguins' Samuel Girard: Headed for Steel City
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Girard was traded to the Penguins from the Avalanche, along with a 2028 second-round pick, in exchange for Brett Kulak on Tuesday.
Girard's move could see him get power-play minutes on the Penguins' No. 2 unit, a role that has been missing this season with Colorado. Through 40 games with the Avs this season, the 27-year-old blueliner has notched just 12 points, but he could return to being a 30-plus point producer with an expanded role. He'll cost Pittsburgh more against the cap, $5 million AAV, but is under contract through next season and comes with the valuable second-round pick.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Ends month-long slump
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Girard posted an assist, three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.
Girard had gone 13 games without a point entering Thursday. The 27-year-old blueliner has held a steady role on the third pairing during his slump, though that role may be contributing to his difficulties on offense. For the season, Girard is at 12 points, 31 shots on net, 34 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 37 appearances.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Earns pair of points
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Girard scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in Saturday's 6-5 shootout win over the Golden Knights.
Girard has found his groove with three goals and five assists over his last seven games. The defenseman got the Avalanche on the board at 5:19 of the second period and also helped out on Martin Necas' tying tally a few minutes later. Girard is up to 10 points, 20 shots on net, 23 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 22 appearances. While he's on the third pairing and doesn't get much power-play time, Girard's recent play and his presence on a high-scoring team could still earn him some interest in deeper fantasy formats.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Scores winning goal Tuesday
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Girard scored a goal in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Utah.
Girard provided all the offense of the game with an unassisted goal at the 7:57 mark of the second period with a backhander. It was his second goal of the season and his eighth point in 21 appearances. He also has 18 shots on net and 23 blocked shots.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Nets first goal of campaign
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Girard scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.
Girard's first goal of the season came at 13:29 of the second period to tie the score at 2-2. He has earned four points and a plus-2 rating over his last three outings in one of his better stretches of the campaign. Overall, the defenseman has six points, 14 shots on net, 22 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating across 18 appearances in a bottom-four role.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Dishes two assists
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Girard logged two assists and two blocked shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Predators.
Girard has earned three helpers over his last two games after going 10 contests without a point. His offense may continue to fluctuate, as the Avalanche's good health on the blue line has Girard in a third-pairing role. The 27-year-old has collected five helpers, 12 shots on net, 21 blocked shots, eight hits and a plus-5 rating across 17 appearances this season.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Pockets assist Thursday
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Girard logged an assist and three blocked shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Panthers.
Girard ended a 10-game point drought in a game that saw 13 of the Avalanche's skaters get on the scoresheet. He set up Nathan MacKinnon's tally in the second period. Girard's lack of offense and the overall health of the blue line has led to the 27-year-old slipping into a third-pairing role with minimal power-play time. He's produced three helpers, 11 shots on net, 19 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 16 appearances this season.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Records helper in return
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Girard logged an assist in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.
Girard missed 15 games due to an upper-body injury. He returned to a third-pairing role Thursday, logging 16:54 of ice time. The helper was his first point of the year to go with three shots on net, four blocked shots, three hits and a plus-2 rating over three outings. Girard's return should help bolster the bottom of the Avalanche's defense, which will make it tougher for Ilya Solovyov to get into the lineup.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Suiting up versus Sabres
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Girard (upper body) will be in action against Buffalo on Thursday, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Girard will return following a 15-game stint on injured reserve due to his upper-body issue. In 73 regular-season games last year, the 27-year-old blueliner notched 24 points but could struggle to produce at that level this time around due to his lengthy injury absence. With Girard back in the lineup, Ilya Solovyov figures to be relegated to the press box as a healthy scratch.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Not playing this weekend
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Girard (upper body) will not travel to Edmonton and Vancouver this weekend, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports Friday.
Girard has been out since Oct. 11 and has missed 12 games thus far. The 27-year-old had three hits and three blocked shots in two games before his injury. Girard could return as early as Tuesday against the Ducks.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Could play next weekend
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Head coach Jared Bednar said Thursday that he hopes that Girard (upper body) can return to the lineup Nov. 8 versus Edmonton, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Girard is currently on injured reserve after getting hurt in the second game of the season Oct. 9 against Utah. The defenseman is without a point in his two appearances this season.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Moves to IR
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Girard (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Sunday, per the NHL media site.
The Avalanche recalled Jack Ahcan from AHL Colorado on Sunday for the team's two-game road trip, which begins against Buffalo on Monday. Girard sat out Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to Dallas and is week-to-week. He hasn't earned a point in two appearances this season while posting three blocked shots and two hits.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Considered week-to-week
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Girard (upper body) is week-to-week, according to Conor McGahey of Altitude TV on Saturday.
Girard has supplied two shots on goal, three blocked shots and three hits in two games this season. The 27-year-old Girard will be replaced in Saturday's lineup against Dallas by Ilya Solovyov.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Expected to play Saturday
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Girard (lower body) is slated to play in his first preseason game Saturday in Dallas, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
Girard started off training camp in a non-contact jersey and now appears in line to be ready for Opening Night in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The veteran defenseman had three goals, 21 assists, 95 shots on goal and 111 blocked shots across 73 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Won't face Vegas
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Girard will miss Wednesday's preseason game against Vegas, per Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now.
Girard hasn't gotten into any preseason action this year, but he might still be an option to play in Saturday's exhibition game against Dallas. Provided he's healthy, the 27-year-old might be a part of the top four for the Avalanche's season opener versus the Kings on Tuesday. Girard had three goals, 24 points, 62 hits and 111 blocks across 73 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Could be ready for Opening Night
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Head coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday that Girard (lower body) is expected to miss time during camp but could be ready to return by Opening Night, Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports reports.
Girard has been skating in a non-contact jersey recently due to his lower-body injury, and while he's expected to spend some time rehabbing during training camp, he could be back in time for the regular season. Girard logged three goals, 21 assists, 111 blocked shots and 62 hits while averaging 20:51 of ice time over 73 regular-season appearances last year.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Nursing injury in on-ice activities
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Girard (lower body) was seen skating gingerly in a non-contact jersey Friday after missing all of the Avalanche's previous informal skates, Brennan Vogt of Hockey Mountain High reports.
Girard appears to be working his way back from an injury of some sort, though no details were available. The 27-year-old could be limited in training camp but should be good for a top-four role on the blue line if he's healthy by the start of the regular season.
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