If the Colorado Avalanche have any chance at making the playoffs, their No. 1 goalie will have to be just that.
Related: By the numbers: Are the 16 playoff spots spoken for?
With his team two points behind Minnesota in the race for a wild-card spot, head coach Patrick Roy has tabbed Semyon Varlamov to start his first game since being pulled from a 6-3 loss to the Wild on March 1.
After Calvin Pickard went 1-1 in two starts since, Roy's turning back to Varlamov, and with high expectations.
"We knew he was going to play eventually," Roy said of Varlamov after Monday's morning skate. "I thought he had really good practices (while) Pick played really well in those games. Now it's time for Varly to step up."
Varlamov has been down more than up this season, as evidenced by his save percentages by month.
| Month | Games | Shots Against | Sv% |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 7 | 198 | .889 |
| November | 7 | 154 | .885 |
| December | 11 | 341 | .942 |
| January | 10 | 287 | .926 |
| February | 8 | 208 | .897 |
| March | 1 | 12 | .750 |
Roy will obviously need more of what Varlamov showed midseason, or at least something closer to his career save percentage of .917.
With games against Arizona, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton on tap, it's as good a time as any to pick up some valuable points.
