Avalanche's Calvin Pickard: Defending cage Thursday

Pickard will get the starting nod against the Ducks on Thursday, Rick Sadowski of NHL.com reports.

Analysis:

Pickard will make his first start in three contests now that Semyon Varlamov (groin) is officially shut down until the All-Star break. When he has been in the crease, Pickard has not fared well of late, as he has just one lone victory in his last six appearances. The young netminder has performed slightly better on the road, where he has a 2.78 GAA compared to 3.35 GAA at home -- but he'll face an Anaheim squad that's 4-0-1 in its last five outings.