All healthy Avalanche players were on the ice Saturday for an optional skate, a lighthearted one at that in the wake of their 7-1 rout of Minnesota on Friday.
Well, goalie
Semyon Varlamov didn't practice, but that made sense considering he will make his eighth consecutive start in the Sunday matinee against red-hot Nashville to close out the four-game homestand.
Goalie
Jonathan Bernier practiced and said he's recovered from the concussion he sustained Feb. 16 in Winnipeg.
Spencer Martin will back up Varlamov again against the Predators, but coach
Jared Bednar said that Bernier will go on the two-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Chicago.
"I froze the puck at the side of the net and a guy clipped me," Bernier said, recounting the play that caused his injury. "I lost my helmet and hit my head on the post. My neck was really, really sore and I started to feel a little dizzy, but I thought it was from my neck. I tried to play through it and I just couldn't.
"I feel good, no issues, and now it's just a matter of getting back in shape. It was the first (concussion) of my career. You just didn't know how long it was going to take (to heal)."
Bernier is eager to play, but Bednar wants him to get in another practice or two before that happens.
Now forward
Colin Wilson is going through concussion protocol after getting hurt in the second period Friday.
Forward
Vladislav Kamenev, who suffered a broken arm in his Avalanche debut Nov. 16 against Washington, took part in the full practice.
"We may think about sending him (to San Antonio) at some point on a conditioning stint and get him in a couple games before we bring him back up," Bednar said.
Forward
Sven Andrighetto practiced with a no-contact jersey, but he looked fine. He's missed 26 games with a leg injury.
The Avalanche remained one point behind Anaheim for the second wild card in the Western Conference and were two points behind Dallas for the first wild card before the Stars played St. Louis on Saturday; the Blues were one point behind Colorado in this ridiculously tight race.
The Avalanche closed to within four points of the Wild in the Central Division with Friday's blowout win sparked by
Nathan MacKinnon (two goals, three assists) and
Mikko Rantanen (one goal, three assists).
"We're not just trying to chase the last wild card, we're trying to be a top team in the division and solidify a guaranteed spot -- in the top three," MacKinnon said. "We got some good players in here and we're feeling it."
Here's the NHL.com
GAME STORY.
The Avalanche have won three consecutive games, are 4-1-1 in their past six and 13-1-0 in the past 14 at home. They're meeting a Predators team that has won seven in a row and is first in the division and conference with 91 points.
"Nashville, it's always a challenge," Bednar said. "They're one of the best teams in the league and they're playing real well right now. They have a lot of weapons, they're a real deep team, so it's going to be another challenge for us
The lineup:
FORWARDS
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Tyson Jost -- Alexander Kerfoot -- J.T. Compher
Matt Nieto -- Carl Soderberg -- Blake Comeau
Gabriel Bourque -- Dominic Toninato -- Nail Yakupov
DEFENSE
Nikita Zadorov -- Tyson Barrie
Patrik Nemeth -- Samuel Girard
Duncan Siemens -- Anton Lindholm
GOALIES
Semyon Varlamov
Spencer Martin
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