Avalanche Notes; Burakovsky, Kuemper back at regular practice

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – After an emotional game last night the Avs had an optional skate this morning at Rogers Place. Attendees included Alex, Newhook, Nico Sturm, Jack Johnson, Andre Burakovsky, Darcy Kuemper and a couple more.

With Nazem Kadri being out for the remainder of the Western Conference Finals, the Avs are going to need all the help they can get. There was no update provided on Burakovsky but we’ll be watching closely to see if he’s back in the lineup for Game 4.

Coach Jared Bednar spoke at great length on the team’s depth and preparation for situations like this.

“We have a significant amount of depth that we probably didn’t have in previous years.” said Bednar.

Bednar also did not provide any new updates on Kadri. He is out for the series, potentially longer. When asked if he could confirm or deny it was a broken thumb, Bednar simply replied “No.” We will hopefully have more news in a few days.

Practice notes & thoughts:
Burakovsky was on the ice skating and taking shots

• Kuemper was on the ice as well. No word on the starting goalie for Game 4. Hard to imagine it not being Pavel Francouz
  
  – Empty arenas are freezing cold. Note to self for the next trip…bring gloves.
  
  – Rogers Arena is simply incredible. The press conference room is littered with Oilers memorabilia. It’s almost like a mini-museum.

– Pavel Francouz believes the hit on Kadri is suspension worthy. Mikko Rantanen agrees with Gabe Landeskog’s comments from last night that it was a dangerous hit.

• Dater was right in his prediction: one-game suspension for Evander Kane.