Chad Johnson will be in the crease Thursday against the Avalanche.

Johnson will be in the crease Thursday against the Avalanche.

Analysis:

Jaroslav Halak's ongoing struggles (3.51 GAA, .889 save percentage over six starts) will pave the way for Johnson to man the net for the third time in four games. Johnson's rate stats are only marginally better than Halak's, so he'll probably need a couple of dominant outings before having a crack at receiving a sustained run of starts.