Annunen stopped 17 of 20 shots in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Kraken.
Annunen didn't have a great performance against a team that has struggled to score, but the Avalanche gave him plenty of support. He's now allowed 10 goals on his last 74 shots, but he's picked up two wins over three games in that span. Annunen is at a 5-2-0 record with a 2.64 GAA and an .893 save percentage over eight outings this season. The Avalanche's crease remains up for grabs, but Annunen has done better than Alexandar Georgiev or Kaapo Kahkonen at giving the team chances to win.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Draws start Tuesday
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Annunen will tend twine in Tuesday's home matchup versus Seattle, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Annunen will make his eighth appearance and sixth start of the 2024-25 campaign. The Finnish netminder has posted a 4-2-0 record, .899 save percentage and 2.58 GAA. The Kraken sit 22nd in the league with 2.77 goals per game through 13 contests.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Takes loss Saturday
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Annunen stopped 20 of 23 shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Predators. The last two goals were empty-netters.
The Avalanche got within a goal late thanks to Nathan MacKinnon, but the Predators found the empty cage twice after that. Annunen put in a decent effort, but his four-game winning streak was snapped anyway. He's allowed seven goals on 53 shots over his last two contests, dropping to 4-2-0 with a 2.58 GAA and an .899 save percentage across seven games (five starts) overall. Annunen has been the best of the Avalanche's goaltenders, but he's currently in a three-man rotation that also features Alexandar Georgiev and Kaapo Kahkonen. Considering the team is entertaining the idea of three goalies while running short on healthy forwards, this is a fantasy crease situation that could quickly get ugly if one of the netminders doesn't get hot soon -- all three have been on the losing end of 5-2 results in the last week. The Avalanche host the Kraken on Tuesday.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Set to be healthy scratch Wednesday
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Annunen will be a healthy scratch for Wednesday's home game against Tampa Bay, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.
Kaapo Kahkonen is getting the start Wednesday, while Alexandar Georgiev will serve as the backup. Annunen has a 4-1-0 record, 2.47 GAA and .905 save percentage across six appearances this season. This likely isn't a sign that he has fallen out of favor with head coach Jared Bednar. Instead, this is more of a byproduct of the Avalanche having three goaltenders on their roster.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Yields four goals in win
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Annunen stopped 26 of 30 shots in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Senators.
Annunen gave up all four goals in the third period, though the Avalanche were able to score three times themselves in the final frame to keep the lead. This was Annunen's worst start of the season, but he still came away with a fourth straight win to strengthen his grip on the starting job in goal. He's 4-1-0 with a 2.48 GAA and a .905 save percentage through six appearances. The Avalanche play again Monday versus the Blackhawks, which is likely an opportunity for either Alexandar Georgiev to get his season back on track or for Kaapo Kahkonen to return from a conditioning loan to make his team debut.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Starting vs. Sens
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Annunen will guard the home net Sunday against Ottawa, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.
It'll be the fourth straight start for Annunen, who's gone 3-0-0 with a .949 save percentage in his previous three outings. He'll face a hot Senators' offense that's averaging 3.71 goals per game to start the year.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Sharp again in third straight win
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Annunen stopped 25 of 26 shots in Thursday's 5-1 win over Utah.
Annunen has started three games in a row, allowing just four goals on 79 shots in that span. The Avalanche have won all three of those contests, and it's possible that Annunen has temporarily taken over the No. 1 job between the pipes. He's 3-1-0 through five appearances, and he's yet to allow more than two goals in any outing. The Avalanche's next game is Sunday versus the Senators.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Sturdy performance in win
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Annunen turned aside 25 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Seattle.
Annunen has now won back-to-back starts, and he's likely earned himself a larger share of the netminding workload as a result of Alexandar Georgiev's early-season struggles. Annunen has posted a 2-1-0 record, .900 save percentage and 2.45 GAA across four appearances. The 24-year-old's next chance to extend his win streak to three will come in a road matchup with Utah on Thursday.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Starting in Seattle
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Annunen will protect the road net in Tuesday's game versus the Kraken, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.
Annunen will be rewarded with a second straight start after giving up just one goal on 26 shots to defeat the Sharks on Sunday. The 24-year-old will face a tougher task against a Kraken team with 21 goals scored over six contests this season.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Allows one goal in win
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Annunen stopped 25 of 26 shots in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Sharks.
Annunen made his first start of the season after appearing in relief in the first two games of the year. The 24-year-old had little trouble with the Sharks, allowing just a William Eklund power-play goal in the first period. Annunen has given up five goals on 43 shots over his three appearances, going 1-1-0. The Avalanche's slow start is well-documented, but each of Annunen and Alexandar Georgiev have won their most recent outing. The Avalanche visit the Kraken on Tuesday.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Sharpens up Thursday
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Annunen stopped 21 of 22 shots in Thursday's 3-1 preseason win over the Golden Knights.
Annunen had his best outing of the preseason in this road win, quieting a group mostly consisting of Vegas' NHL players. The 24-year-old has allowed seven goals on 74 shots across three preseason appearances. This may have been his last action before Opening Night, though the Avalanche will have one more preseason game at Utah on Saturday.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Starting versus Utah
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Annunen will be between the pipes for Sunday's exhibition contest against Utah, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
Annunen is making his second start of the preseason -- the 24-year-old turned away 14 of 15 shots in Monday's exhibition loss to Dallas. The Finnish netminder is projected to take on a larger workload in 2024-25 after appearing in 14 contests for Colorado in 2023-24.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Returning in backup role
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Annunen (illness) will back up Alexandar Georgiev on Friday for Game 3 versus Winnipeg, per Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette.
Annunen missed the first two games of the series with an illness, but he's now feeling well enough to sit on the bench as Georgiev's backup Friday. Annunen went 8-4-1 with a 2.25 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 14 regular-season appearances.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Earns win in finale
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Annunen stopped 25 of 26 shots in Thursday's 5-1 victory over Edmonton.
It was another strong effort from Annunen, who held the Oilers to a lone power-play marker in the first period en route to a win in the regular-season finale. The 24-year-old netminder went 4-2-0 in his final seven games, posting a .926 save percentage. He'll finish the year 8-4-1 with an impressive .928 save percentage and 2.25 GAA. While Alexandar Georgiev figures to be Colorado's primary starter in the playoffs, Annunen has proven to be a more than capable backup option.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Stops 44 in win
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Annunen stopped 44 of 46 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Wild.
Annunen was stellar against a barrage of Minnesota shots Thursday, allowing just a pair of goals in a winning effort. It was the third straight appearance for the 24-year-old netminder -- he's gone 6-2-0 with an excellent .950 save percentage in his last eight outings. Overall, Annunen's 7-4-1 on the season with a .931 save percentage and 2.24 GAA while backing up Alexandar Georgiev. Georgiev figures to be back in net Friday in the second half of a back-to-back versus Edmonton.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Handed loss Monday
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Annunen gave up three goals on 24 shots in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
Annunen was able to stop the first 12 shots of the contest but then he let in three consecutive markers in the second frame that wound up to be too much for the Avalanche. Although it was a poor showing for Annunen, he had been strong recently in a backup role as he had won four out of his previous five games. Fantasy managers should expect to see No. 1 netminder Alexander Georgiev between the pipes when Colorado face the Wild on Thursday in the first half of a back-to-back that also includes Friday's game in Edmonton.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Starting in Columbus
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Annunen will defend the road net Monday versus the Blue Jackets, according to Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports.
Annunen stopped all 22 shots he faced in Saturday's 7-4 win over Nashville after Alexandar Georgiev was pulled. The 24-year-old Annunen has a 5-1-0 record with a .959 save percentage and two shutouts across his past six appearances. Columbus ranks 25th in the league this campaign with 2.84 goals per contest.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Falls to Montreal
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Annunen allowed two goals on 27 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Canadiens.
Fresh off signing a two-year extension with the Avs, Annunen turned in a solid performance Tuesday, holding the Canadiens to just a pair of first-period tallies. However, Colorado could only muster a single goal of support on the other end, sticking Annunen with his first loss in over a month -- he'd gone 4-0-0 with a .959 save percentage in his previous four starts. The 24-year-old Annunen has been sharp behind Alexandar Georgiev this season -- he's now 5-3-1 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.34 GAA on the campaign.
Annunen signed a two-year contract extension with Colorado on Tuesday.
Annunen has performed well as Alexandar Georgiev's backup this season. The 24-year-old Annunen has a 5-2-1 record with a 2.38 GAA and a .926 save percentage over eight NHL outings in 2023-24. His new contract is a one-way agreement, which suggests he could occupy the No. 2 role next campaign. Annunen will start Tuesday's home matchup against the Canadiens.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Taking on Montreal
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Annunen is slated to start versus the Canadiens at home Tuesday, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.
Annunen has been outstanding in the month of March, stringing together three straight wins while posting an impressive 1.67 GAA and .948 save percentage. He'll try to extend his personal winning streak to five games in a favorable home matchup with a Montreal team that's 13-15-8 on the road this year.
