The Colorado Avalanche were without their starting goaltender for the final game of their first-round sweep against the Nashville Predators. Darcy Kuemper was recovering from an eye injury which forced him to miss Game 4 after Ryan Johansen's stick went through his mask and hit him in the eye during Game 3. Pavel Francouz replaced Kuemper in both games, helping the Avs secure the series victory. While their matchup for Round 2 has yet to be determined, the Avs do know who will be in net for their second-round series. Via Mike Chambers, Jared Bednar revealed Kuemper is back to 100% and will be in the cage for the Avalanche next round.

Kuemper was hoping to play in Game 4 but the swelling around his eye was still too great, impacting his vision. Francouz played well in his stead, but now Bednar is going back to Kuemper for the second round.

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The injury sustained by Kuemper was truly scary. Johansen's errant stick somehow slipped in between the cracks of his face mask and caught the Avalanche goalie square in the eye. He immediately went down in pain and was removed from the game.

Kuemper struggled in the first half of the season but was sensational during the second half, emerging as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL. He's been a key part of the Avalanche's success this year, though most of the credit goes to their high-powered offense.

Getting him back for the second-round matchup will be a major coup for the Avs. They're set to play the winner of the first-round clash between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues in Round 2.