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Pickard starts against Hawks; Johnson out, Tanguay in |
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Rick Sadowski
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UPDATE: Alex Tanguay will play tonight against Chicago, but Erik Johnson has been scratched. He'll be replaced by Karl Stollery.
Goalie Calvin Pickard will start.
Johnson sustained a head injury in overtime Tuesday in Arizona in a collision with Martin Hanzal. The Avalanche recalled Stollery from Lake Erie in the AHL in case Johnson doesn't play.
Pickard, 22, stopped all 42 shots he faced in 95:33 of playing time in two consecutive relief appearances of Reto Berra. He made 25 saves Tuesday when the Avalanche turned a 3-0 first-period deficit into a 4-3 overtime win. On Saturday, they were down 3-1 in the first period when Pickard replaced Berra. He turned aside 17 shots in another 4-3 win.
The Avalanche had an optional skate this morning, but I spoke with Pickard earlier in the week about his NHL experience up to now.
"Every time you're in the lineup, backup or starting, you have to be ready," said Pickard, who was the Avalanche's second-round pick (No. 49) in the 2010 NHL Draft. "I learned that in Ottawa."
Pickard made his NHL debut Oct. 16 in Ottawa after being summoned from Lake Erie on an emergency basis to dress as Berra's backup because Varlamov sustained a groin injury in the morning skate. He stopped 23 of 27 shots in a 5-3 loss. Pickard made his first start Oct. 18 and made 33 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
"Going into every game now I prepare as if I'm going to play," said Pickard, who has a 2.00 goals-against average and .933 save percentage. "This whole experience has been good for me. Working with (goalie coach) Francois (Allaire) really helps me a lot. Every day that goes by I get that much more comfortable. The last few games I've played have been pretty good. I just have to build off that."
The Avalanche (8-9-5) have won four of the past five games and are in position to reach .500 for the first time this season. Of course, they'll have to beat the Blackhawks to do it, no easy task under any circumstances.
The Hawks have gone 2-1-0 in the first three games of their annual "Circus Trip," a six-game, 10-day excursion. They're coming off a 4-1 loss in Vancouver on Sunday. Corey Crawford will make his 12th consecutive start in goal.
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