Other than having
Calvin Pickard start in goal, the Avalanche will use the same lineup Monday night in Pittsburgh against the defending Stanley Cup champions that they did in their 6-5 season-opening win Saturday against Dallas.
Penguins star
Sidney Crosby remains sidelined because of the concussion he sustained in an Oct. 7 practice.
NHL.com reported he skated on his own Monday morning.
Here are the
GAME NOTES.
While the Avalanche are beginning a four-game road trip, the Penguins (2-0-0) are completing a three-game homestand. They defeated Washington 3-2 in overtime in their opener and Anaheim 3-2 on Sunday.
Penguins goalie
Marc-Andre Fleury will start after stopping 73 of 77 shots in the first two games. He has a 9-3-0 career record against the Avalanche with one shutout, a 2.18 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
Pickard won his only decision in two preseason games, 1-0 in Dallas on Oct. 5. He made 47 saves in a 1-0 overtime loss in Pittsburgh two years ago in his only previous appearance against the Penguins.
Semyon Varlamov is scheduled to start Tuesday in Washington. The Avalanche also play against Tampa Bay on Thursday and Florida on Saturday. The next game in this quirky schedule isn't until Oct. 28 against Winnipeg at the Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Jarome Iginla
Mikhail Grigorenko -- Carl Soderberg -- Matt Duchene
Gabriel Bourque -- Joe Colborne -- Rene Bourque
Andreas Martinsen -- Ben Smith -- Blake Comeau
DEFENSE
Nikita Zadorov -- Erik Johnson
Francois Beauchemin -- Tyson Barrie
Fedor Tyutin -- Patrick Wiercioch
GOALIES
Calvin Pickard
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched: Eric Gelinas, Cody McLeod
Injured: John Mitchell (hip, not on trip)
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • 
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