Yakupov scratched again

SUNRISE, FLA.» First-year Avalanche forward Nail Yakupov, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft, was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game Saturday against the Florida Panthers.

“I like what some other guys are doing better,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said after an optional morning skate at BB&T Center.

Yakupov, 24, signed a modest one-year, $875,000 contract with Colorado on July 4. He scored seven goals in his first 20 games but went pointless in his last six. He only has three assists and a team-low three blocked shots.

Yakupov’s career has been in decline since he scored 17 goals in the 48-game lockout-shortened season of 2012-13. He was traded to St. Louis before last season and only produced three goals in 40 games for the Blues.

Staying put. It’s unlikely that Avalanche rookies Tyson Jost and Sam Girard will be loaned to Hockey Canada to play in the upcoming World Junior Championship in Buffalo, Bednar said.

“It’s not up to me, but if it were I’d say no. They’re part of our team and we need them,” Bednar said.

Jost and Girard, both 19, said they haven’t had any conversations with Colorado general manager Joe Sakic or anyone else with the team about playing in the under-20 WJC, which begins Dec. 26. Sakic was at the NHL board of governors meetings last week in Palm Beach, Fla.

Hockey Canada has invited 32 players to this week’s three-day camp in St. Catharines, Ontario, and the roster includes 2017 Avalanche-drafted defenseman Cale Makar and Connor Timmins.

Footnotes. The Avs used the same lineup Saturday from what they had Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, thus they had one extra defenseman (seven) and one fewer forwards (11) than normal. … Defenseman Erik Johnson played in his 400th game with the Avalanche, 603rd overall. He became the third defenseman to play 400 games for the Avs, joining Adam Foote (760) and John-michael Liles (523). … The Panthers were 4for-8 on the power play the past two games after going 2-for-23 the previous nine games.