Philipp Grubauer won’t have to wait two weeks for his next appearance in net.
Grubauer will start Sunday when the Avalanche face Anaheim to open a three-game road trip.
The GAME NOTES.
Grubauer made 26 saves Friday against his former Washington Capitals teammates, a 3-2 overtime loss. It was his first game since Nov. 2, a 7-6 overtime loss in Vancouver.
“It was nice to get a game in two weeks or whatever, felt like it was the offseason,… he said after the game. “It was good, next game is coming up soon.…
Coach Jared Bednar responded by saying that Grubauer is “in the fight… for more playing time, but that it isn’t all on him.
“Depends on his play and on the other guy’s play,… Bednar said, referring, of course, to Semyon Varlamov.
Varlamov has better numbers: Grubauer has a 3-1-2 record, but he owns a 3.46 goals-against average and .893 save percentage; Varlamov is 6-5-2 despite a 2.32 goals-against average and .926 save percentage.
Not throwing Grubauer under the bus; it’s a small sample size. But let’s see how he plays against the Ducks.
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov, meanwhile, wasn’t happy about being a healthy scratch Friday.
“I mean, it’s not easy when you’re not playing,… he told The Athletic. “I feel a little bit disrespected.…
Zadorov was limited to 7:22 in playing time in the previous game, Wednesday against Boston. He was assessed a borderline interference penalty in the second period, shortly after the Avalanche closed to 3-2. Colorado killed the penalty and scored four times in the third period for a 6-3 win.
Zadorov didn’t play at all in the third against the Bruins.
“I want him to play and take command of the game,… Bednar told reporters. “That’s (to) be assertive, be physical, be skating, and I want him to be able to move the puck efficiently.
“Same kind of things I want from all of our D, even though they all bring a little bit of a different skill set and being able to get us clean exits out of our zone. Make sure you’re skating to check and be physical. A lot goes into it, but that would be the base of his play.…
I’d rather see Zadorov in the lineup than either Mark Barberio or Patrik Nemeth, and maybe that will be the case against the Ducks.
The Avalanche didn’t have a morning skate Sunday, so no word on which defenseman sits out.