The Avalanche finally get to play a home game Friday when they meet Winnipeg at the Pepsi Center, their first home game since a season-opening 6-5 win against Dallas on Oct. 15. They will play seven of the next 10 games at home.

The Avalanche (3-2-0) haven't played since their 5-2 loss in Florida on Saturday completed a 2-2-0 road trip.

Semyon Varlamov will start in goal against the Jets, his fourth in a row. Calvin Pickard will start Saturday in Arizona.

The Avalanche spent the week on system work and special teams. They have the fourth-best power play in the NHL at 29.4 percent (5-for-17), but are 29th in penalty killing at 69.6 percent (seven goals in 23 shorthanded situations).

"A lot of good came from this week," coach Jared Bednar said after practice Thursday.

He added that right wing Mikko Rantanen, who was called up Monday from AHL San Antonio after playing four games there, "got up to speed" with three days of practices on a line with left wing Mikhail Grigorenko and center Nathan MacKinnon.

"I thought he was great," Bednar said of Rantanen, Colorado's first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2015 NHL draft. "He looked like he picked up a step (after) spending some time in San Antonio, getting in some game situations. He looks more confident with the puck, looks quicker to me.

"We have to be a little bit patient with him. This is his first game, everyone's been up to speed playing and he was on the shelf (with an ankle injury) for a better part of that. We have to give him some time, but I think he's going to find it quickly. He's going to find a way to be a good player for us."

Line combinations for Friday:

Gabriel Landeskog -- Matt Duchene -- Jarome Iginla
Mikhail Grigorenko -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Rene Bourque -- Carl Soderberg -- Blake Comeau
Andreas Martinsen -- John Mitchell -- Joe Colborne

"I'd like to find some chemistry where we're consistently playing well, and then we can leave our lines together," Bednar said.

Mitchell, who will play for the first time after missing the first five games because of a hip injury, will also kill penalties.



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