Girard back in lineup for Avalanche after missing 3 games

The Colorado Avalanche are getting a big boost on the back end as they attempt to keep their season alive Friday night.

Samuel Girard returned to the lineup for Game 5 of the first-round series against the Nashville Predators after missing the previous three contests with what the Avalanche would only call an upper-body injury.

The 19-year-old defenseman was acquired by Colorado in the blockbuster trade that sent Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators and Kyle Turris to the Predators.