Jonathan Bernier will make his second consecutive start Wednesday when the Avalanche play Dallas at the Pepsi Center, and not only because Semyon Varlamov is ill and didn't practice Tuesday.
"He had a really good night the other night," coach Jared Bednar said of Bernier, who had 21 saves Sunday in the Avalanche's 4-3 overtime win in Detroit.
Bednar said Varlamov hasn't felt well for a few days. "Yesterday he got sick and today he's worse," he said.
Neither goalie has played well on a consistent basis despite the Avalanche's 10-8-1 record.
Bernier has gone 3-4-0 with a 3.59 goals-against average and .886 save percentage. Varlamov has a 7-4-1 record with a 3.23 GAG and .903 save percentage.
Bernier has a career 5-3-1 record against the Stars with a 2.19 GAG and .929 save percentage.
Varlamov played both previous games against Dallas this season, a 3-1 road loss Oct. 14 and a 5-3 home win Oct. 24.
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Defenseman Anton Lindholm, who sustained a broken jaw Nov. 4 against Philadelphia, took part in full practice while wearing extra facial protection.
"He saw the doctor yesterday and got good news, so he was in a contact jersey today," Bednar said. "If everything goes well over the next week or so he could get cleared to play."
Defenseman Patrik Nemeth (lower-body injury) hasn't skated since getting hurt Nov. 5 against the New York Islanders.
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The Avalanche have been excellent at the Pepsi Center, posting a 6-1-0 record while outscoring teams 34-19. They've won four in a row in Denver by a combined score of 22-11. Their 4-3 overtime loss to Ottawa in Stockholm on Nov. 10 was counted as a home game.
"The last few years we haven't been very good at home," Erik Johnson said. "It's fun winning in front of your fans. All the good teams in this league win at home and have dominant records at home usually, so hopefully we can follow that trend and continue to do that.
"Our special teams are good at home. We've been feeling it at home. I don't know what it is, but we're clicking, getting some early leads and closing out games."
The Avalanche have the third best power play in the league at home (10 for 33, 30.3 percent), but they're 27th on the road (6 for 49, 12.2 percent).
Penalty killing is similar: fourth best at home (26 of 28, 92 percent), 31st on the road (35 of 51, 68.6 percent). Only Pittsburgh, Nashville and Washington have taken more penalties on the road.
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The Avalanche are struggling big time on faceoffs at home and on the road, especially after trading Matt Duchene. They've won just 42.6 percent of their draws, last in the league. (Duchene has won 55.5 percent of his faceoffs.)
"Well, we got to get better, for sure," Bednar said. "You look at our centers, we've got some young guys in there (who are) learning it's not just about quickness or just the hands. You have to dig in against certain guys. As they learn about their opponents, I think they'll get a little bit better.
"As a team we can help too, getting in on the circles and helping out there, especially if we're having trouble against certain opponents. It's something we've talked about, the importance. You don't want to lose them cleanly in the D-zone, that's for sure.
"Offensively it can help us if we're winning some draws and help us get some sustained O-zone time. It's important, like every other aspect of our game when it's weak. When we're struggling we have to keep working at it to get better. The guys are practicing it every day."