Avs' Werner credits 'great karma' after 40-save win in surprise debut
Colorado Avalanche netminder Adam Werner pointed to two things after making an NHL debut for the ages against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.
"Great karma and great positioning," Werner said following the 4-0 win, according to NHL.com's Darrin Bauming.
Werner entered the game after just 31 seconds when starter Pavel Francouz was injured in a scary collision with Jets forward Mark Scheifele. The 22-year-old stopped all 40 shots he faced but won't get credit for the individual shutout because he played only 59:29.
The rookie goaltender was selected by the Avalanche in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft and has remained focused on earning his spot despite spending the previous three seasons bouncing between Europe and the AHL.
"You need to have a dream, and a big dream out there, and work for it, and be prepared if something happened," he said.
Starting netminder Philipp Grubauer missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury, and head coach Jared Bednar didn't provide an update on Francouz's condition postgame.