Goalie Darcy Kuemper sustained an upper-body injury at 12:41 of the second period in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series, an 8-6 win for the Avalanche on Tuesday, when Francouz came on in relief and allowed three goals on 21 shots.
"We have a lot of confidence in 'Frankie,'" Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "I mean, he's played really well for us over the last few years."
Kuemper did not take part in the morning skate Thursday. He is 6-2 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in 10 starts during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and was replaced by Francouz in Game 3 of the first round against the Nashville Predators because of an eye injury.
"Stepping into this situation in the Nashville series, he did a great job for us," Bednar said. "Coming in the other night, he did a nice job for us. We're completely confident he can get the job done."
Francouz is 3-0 with a 3.59 GAA and .889 save percentage in three games this postseason after the 31-year-old went 15-5-1 with a 2.55 GAA, .916 save percentage and two shutouts in 21 regular-season games (18 starts).
"He's been outstanding for us all year," Avalanche forward Logan O'Connor said Wednesday. "I don't think we have to change anything. We have the utmost confidence in him. He's a great team player, always trying to learn, always working hard on the details.
"We don't have to change much in front of him. Same thing, detail oriented, good defense, blocking shots when the opportunity's there, shutting down the rush, getting above pucks. I think it's the same things we've been trying to focus on throughout the series, especially against a high-potent offense like Edmonton. We have tons of confidence in 'Frankie,' so we're excited."
Justus Annunen will back up Francouz. He was 1-1-0 with a 4.34 GAA and .863 save percentage in his first two NHL games this season.
Goalie Mike Smith will start Game 2 for the Oilers. He was pulled from Game 1 after allowing six goals on 25 shots. Mikko Koskinen saved 20 of 21 shots in relief.
Smith is 8-3-0 with a 3.12 GAA, .917 save percentage and two shutouts in 13 starts. He was also pulled after allowing three goals on 10 shots in the first 6:05 of a 9-6 loss to the Calgary Flames in Game 1 of the second round May 18. He responded with 37 saves in Game 2, a 5-3 win. The Oilers won the series in five games.
"I don't think you have the career that he has unless you're able to have a short memory sometimes," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "I think he's a true pro in his approach to the game and the way he treats himself and recovers and resets."
Koskinen is 0-2 with a 4.02 GAA and .897 save percentage in three appearances. He came in at 6:20 of the second period with the Oilers trailing 6-3. The one goal he allowed was a 2-on-1 finished by Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano.
Edmonton scored the next three goals to cut the lead to 7-6 with 7:24 left in the third. Colorado iced the victory when Gabriel Landeskog scored an empty-net goal with 22 seconds left.
"I think the whole team was less than ideal, so it's tough to say that it was the goalie," Oilers defenseman Duncan Keith said. "I mean, you're giving up 2-on-1s. It's tough for any goalie to make those saves. I think we'll all look to respond tonight and have a better game than we did last game."
