Pickard gave up two goals on 43 shots in Colorado’s win in Minnesota last Saturday. Semyon Varlamov started the last two games, but he is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, so Pickard will go tonight vs. the Canucks. Pickard has gone 4-1-0 with a 2.07 GAA and .931 SV% in five starts and one relief appearance this season.
Pickard allowed four goals on 25 shots in Colorado’s loss to Arizona on November 8th. Semyon Varlamov started the last four games, but Pickard will face the Wild for the second time this season. In their last meeting, Pickard stopped all 32 shots that he faced in a 1-0 shutout win.
Eriksson Ek, 19, had two goals and three assists (five points) in nine games with Minnesota. Before burning the first year of his entry-level contract, they’ve sent him back to Sweden. The former first round pick (No.20 overall in 2015) had 15 points (9G / 6A) in 41 games with Farjestad last season.
Pickard stopped all 32 shots that he faced in Colorado’s shutout win over the Wild on Saturday. Pickard also stopped all three shots that he faced after replacing Semyon Varlamov in the Avs’ loss on Sunday. Pickard comes into Tuesday with a 3-0-0 record, 1.50 GAA and .946 SV% on the season and draws a strong matchup vs. the Coyotes.
Pickard allowed two goals on 26 shots in Colorado’s win in Arizona last Saturday. Semyon Varlamov has struggled in his last two outings, so Pickard will get the first game of the Avalanche back-to-back. Pickard has won his two starts while posting a 2.49 GAA and .912 SV%, but makes for a risky start vs. a hot Wild squad.
Bogosian left Tuesday’s game in Minnesota and is week-to-week with a sprained MCL. Bogosian has not recorded a point in nine games and he is no stranger to injury. He will be replaced by Casey Nelson on Thursday.
Spurgeon missed the last four games, but will return to the lineup vs. the Stars on Saturday. Spurgeon has one goal and one assist in four games this season, but won’t start tonight with Ryan Suter. Instead he will play with Nate Prosser, as Mathew Dumba played with Suter in Spurgeon’s absence.
Spurgeon has missed the last four games, but will return to the lineup on Saturday. Spurgeon has picked up one goal and one assist in four games this season. Nate Prosser will likely come out of the lineup to make room for Spurgeon.
Pickard allowed three goals on 31 shots in Colorado’s win over the Penguins on October 17th. With Semyon Varlamov starting last night, Pickard will make his second start of the season tonight in Arizona. Pickard makes for a solid spot-start against a Coyotes team that has lost five of their first seven despite averaging 3.14 goals per game.
Spurgeon was hurt in Thursday’s game vs. the Maple Leafs and then missed yesterday’s practice, which puts his status for tonight’s game in jeopardy. If Spurgeon can’t play, look for Mathew Dumba to get back into the lineup.
Hartman will miss a second straight game with a lower-body injury that he suffered last Friday, but he was on the ice this morning and is targeting a return to the lineup on Friday.
Semyon Varlamov started Colorado’s season opener on Saturday, but they will turn to Pickard tonight in the first game of a back-to-back set. Pickard was 7-6-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .922 SV% in 13 starts and seven relief appearances last year. The 24-year-old will be a strong spot-start option throughout the season, but is a risky option tonight in Pittsburgh.
Hartman cracked the Blackhawks’ opening night roster, but only lasted four periods before getting hurt in Friday’s loss to the Predators. Look for Dennis Rasmussen to be in the lineup on Saturday.
Hartman has the unenviable task of trying to replaced the beloved Andrew Shaw in Chicago. The former first round pick (30th overall in 2013) had 35 points (15G / 20A) in 61 games with Rockford (AHL) last season and one assist in three NHL games. He is expected to make the team and start on a hybrid checking/scoring line with Marcus Kruger and Marian Hossa.
Since breaking into the NHL in 2011-12, Foligno has seen his point-production rise a little bit in each season, reaching 23 points (10G / 13A) in 75 games last year. Still not great production from the 24-year-old, but another one-year deal should motivate him for more in 2016-17.
Pickard, 24, is likely the goalie of the future in Colorado and he signs a two-year “bridge” deal while Semyon Varlamov is still in town. The two-year deal will keep Pickard as a restricted free agent so the Avalanche have control of him when this contract expires. He was 7-6-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .922 SV% with the Avalanche last season and carries a career 2.46 GAA and .927 SV% in 26 career NHL starts.
