Colorado Avalanche Set Lineup Ahead of Game 4 vs. Predators

The Colorado Avalanche look to sweep the Nashville Predators on Monday night as the two teams get set for Game 4. The Avs have been absolutely dominating in all elements of the game as the team continues their strong play from the regular season. While there isn't expected to be a ton of changes throughout their lineup for Game 4, there is a big change in the crease.

With Darcy Kuemper out with an eye injury after taking Predators forward Ryan Johansen's stick to the face in Game 3, look for backup Pavel Francouz to start for Colorado. The 31-year-old southpaw was confirmed by Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar earlier in the day and the head coach mentioned Kuemper's eye is still too swollen to play at this point. The team is hopeful they can get the job done in Game 4 and give everyone some well deserved rest to get back to full strength.

As for Francouz, he entered Game 3 and helped secure the win, stopping 18 of 20 shots in the process. The undrafted netminder recently signed a two-year extension to stick around Mile High, so even though he's the backup, he's a huge part of their hockey club. Francouz appeared in 21 games during the regular season and posted a 2.54 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.

Puck drop is set for 9:30est from 'Smashville' and if the Avalanche get up early in Game 4, Preds fans may be in for a long night.