New goalie Jonas Johansson joins team for Arizona trip
A day after being acquired by the Avalanche from the Buffalo Sabres, goaltender Jonas Johansson was at team headquarters Sunday preparing to travel with the team to Arizona.
Colorado begins a consecutive-night stretch against the Coyotes on Monday, and Johansson could start one of those games.
“It’s been an intense 24 hours for me, with the travel and getting everything together,” Johansson said Sunday on a video conference call. “The main feeling is just, I’m really pumped up, really excited about coming here and being with this organization.”
Johansson, a 25-year-old Swede, played just seven games for the downtrodden Sabres (619-4), and his statistics were as bad as most of his teammates. Among 66 goalies who have played in at least five games, Johansson’s 3.79 goals-against average is 62nd and his .884 save percentage 60th. He was the Sabres’ third-string goalie behind Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton, who each have played in 12 games.
“I try to look at the future here and what’s been happening has been happening,” Johansson said. “I think there’s only good things to come from this. I try not to look back too much. I’m thankful for my time in Buffalo but I’m excited to start new things here.”
Johansson replaces Hunter Miska, who was ineffective in playing spot duty
Philipp Grubauer.
Miska’s 4.16 GAA and .838 SP are worse than Johansson’s, with the latter number the worst in the league.
“The only thing I can focus on is giving the team the chance (to win),” Johansson said. “That’s what I’ve been doing and what I’m going to keep doing.”
Johansson is familiar with two Avalanche players. He played against Colorado Eagles goalie Adam Werner in Sweden and with forward Andre Burakovsky in Swedish international play. Werner, 23, backed up Grubauer in Saturday’s 6-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild but will be reassigned to the taxi squad or the Eagles.
Johansson is the second Jonas Johansson to have ties to the Avalanche. Former right winger Jofor
starter
nas Johansson, 37, was an Avalanche first-round draft pick (28th overall) in 2002. The forward never played for the Avs or any of their minor-league affiliates but he played one game for the Washington Capitals after a brief stint with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.
Avs coach Jared Bednar was a Stingrays assistant coach at the time.
Footnotes. The Avs, who take a six-game winning streak into Arizona, held an optional practice Sunday before departing for the airport. … Colorado is 3-1 against the Coyotes, who snapped a five-game losing streak Saturday with a 5-1 win at Anaheim.