Avalanche cleared to play Blues Thursday night

The Colorado Avalanche are back. The Avalanche confirmed that players and coaches are preparing to take part in the Thursday night game at the St. Louis Blues. Colorado had three consecutive contests postponed due to COVID-19 issues, and goaltender Philipp Grubauer and wingers Joonas Donskoi and Mikko Rantanen remain in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol heading into Thursday's matchup. According to previous reports, Rantanen is on the coronavirus-related list due to contact tracing but hasn't yet tested positive. He is second in the NHL this season with 26 goals and tied for ninth with 52 points.