The Colorado Avalanche are looking to complete the first-round series sweep of the Nashville Predators on Monday night. The status of star goaltender Darcy Kuemper had been up in the air heading into Game 4 after he suffered a gruesome eye injury in Game 3 when Ryan Johansen's stick hit him in the face through his mask. Kuemper was in visible pain and was removed from the game, replaced by Pavel Francouz. He did not return, for obvious reasons, and was considered questionable for Game 4. Jared Bednar has now provided an update on Kuemper's status, and while he's doing a lot better, the swelling over his eye is still too great for him to suit up, via Elliotte Friedman.

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1523731130737778688

Bednar announced that Francouz will be the starter for Monday's Game 4, with Justus Annunen serving as the backup. Kuemper will be unavailable for the game, but there's a chance he'll play in Game 5 if the series extends that far. If the Avalanche are able to complete the sweep, Colorado should have ample time off before their next round series gets underway, so Kuemper should have no trouble getting back to full strength by then.

Francouz played well in Kuemper's absence in Game 3. He saved 18 shots on 20 shots on goal, helping the Avalanche maintain their lead over the Predators to go up 3-0 in the series. During the regular season, Francouz started 21 games, winning 15. He recorded a .916 save percentage and had a solid 2.54 goals allowed average throughout the year.

While Kuemper's absence is a blow, he's getting some much-needed rest to recover from the nasty eye injury, and the Avalanche can feel confident with Francouz starting in his place.