Darcy Kuemper back in Avalanche lineup, will start at Rangers – The Denver Post

NEW YORK — Goalie Darcy Kuemper, who sustained an upper-body injury in a morning skate last week to begin the Avalanche’s five-game road trip, will return to the lineup and start in the final leg of the trip Wednesday night against the New York Rangers.

In a related move, Colorado reassigned rookie goalie Justus Annunen to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Annunen, 21, came off the bench to make his NHL debut in Thursday’s 6-5 overtime loss at Ottawa and made his first career start in Saturday’s 7-5 win at Philadelphia.

Jonas Johansson will back up Kuemper against the Rangers, who defeated the Blackhawks 6-2 in Chicago on Tuesday and are riding a seven-game winning streak.

The Avs will also adjust their fourth line, adding Jacob MacDonald to the mix after placing Jayson Megna on waivers. If Megna clears, he will report to the Eagles.

Colorado will keep defenseman and heavyweight enforcer Kurtis MacDermid in the lineup to help police play against Rangers tough guy Ryan Reaves, whom the Avs had trouble with last season when he played for the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Avs (13-7-2) are 2-1-1 on the trip and 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. They will have Thursday off ahead of Friday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings to begin a three-game homestand, which concludes next Tuesday against the Rangers.

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