SUNRISE, Fla. — Avalanche defenseman Eric Gelinas has been with the team since February but Saturday marked just the seventh time he made the lineup. Gelinas, who was a healthy scratch in Colorado’s first four games, replaced the injured Fedor Tyutin (groin) against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center.
Gelinas, 25, was acquired in a trade with New Jersey last season but played just six games with the Avs before suffering a season-ending elbow injury. At training camp, he said he hadn’t regained full movement in the elbow.
Milestone Matt. Avs forward Matt Duchene appeared in his 500th career NHL regular-season game, becoming the 10th Colorado player to reach that milestone.