Avalanche's Rantanen will play in Game 1 vs. Flames

Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen will return to the lineup Thursday for Game 1 against the Calgary Flames, he told reporters Wednesday, including The Denver Post's Kyle Fredrickson.

"I'm very excited and can't wait to get going," said Rantanen, who missed the last eight games of the regular season with an upper-body injury. "The medical team did a good job and got me back in shape."

Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Rantanen will play Thursday.

"(Rantanen) looks good and he's been working hard," Bednar said. "... I think that he's been ramping up nicely. He looks better and quicker every day that he's on the ice. We'll see how he does tomorrow in the game and adjust his ice time from there. But I expect him to play a lot just like he normally does."

The Finnish forward tallied a career-high 87 points in 74 games this season.