Two key players from the Matt Duchene trade last week figure to play prominent roles Thursday when the Avalanche resumes play and hosts the Washington Capitals at the Pepsi Center.
Defenseman Samuel Girard, 19, who made his Colorado debut and played both games last weekend in Sweden against the Ottawa Senators, again practiced with Erik Johnson on the top pairing Wednesday. And forward Vladislav Kamenev, 21, is centering a line with Sven Andrighetto and Russian countryman Nail Yakupov after being recalled from the American Hockey League on Tuesday.