Morning skate notebook: Health question marks continue, and can the Hamburglar steal one?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Finally, a bit of good medical news for the Avalanche. Well, maybe:

Sam Girard will be a game-time decision to return to the Avs lineup for tonight’s do-or-die Game 5 at Bridgestone Arena (7:30 MDT). Girard has missed three games in this series with that upper-body injury, and the Avs lost two of them. In Game 4, Nashville was able to really get in on the forecheck and cause some turnovers and shaky puck management by the D, and that’s when I thought Girard’s absence was most sorely missed.

Let’s hope this afternoon brings some healing powers to No. 49.

SO, on Tuesday, while no one else was around him, I went over to Andrew Hammond’s locker to talk to him. Hell, he looked awful lonely, so why not throw a few questions at him. One of them was something like, “Well, you could be the Avs’ playoff goalie at any moment, if anything happened to Jonathan Bernier.” He knocked on wood and said he hoped that wouldn’t happen, but that he’d be ready if he did.

So, of course, the next day Bernier gets hurt and now the Hamburglar is the Avs’ starting goalie for Game 5.

Here is a snippet from that conversation with Hammond.

“I’ve played in the playoffs before and understand what that kind of hockey is like, so from that standpoint, if something were to happen, it wouldn’t be overwhelming for me,” he said. “It’s more about being ready and getting your game ready and I feel like I’ve been able to do that these last few weeks.”

Hammond became part of the national hockey conversation in 2014-15 when he went on one of the great goaltending tears in league history, going 20-1-2 for the Ottawa Senators down the stretch to get them into the playoffs, after starter Craig Anderson went down to injury.

His saves percentage during the run? An amazing .941. Goals-against? 1.79.

“Obviously, it was a very special time in my career,” Hammond told BSN Denver. “I think that everyone hoped I’d be able to carry that on forever, but I don’t think it’s possible for a goalie to play his whole career like that. The one thing about that, though, is it gives you confidence that if you can be healthy and get your game in the right spot, you can play well. I guess that’s part of the maturation of a goalie, getting the confidence to know you can come in and steal a game.”

Hammond lost the starting job to Anderson when he returned, and then injuries started him on a bit of a downward spiral in his career that he’s hoped to get out of this year. But he just has not had the opportunity to really win a regular NHL job to this point.

Well, he’s got more of an opportunity now. This will be no easy task, beating the Preds tonight in front of that crowd in a potential closeout game. But this guy has performed miracles before.