More line shuffling could be in store Monday when the Avalanche close out 2018 with a New Year’s Eve game against Los Angeles at the Pepsi Center.
This much is known: Semyon Varlamov will make his second start in a row after making 34 saves Saturday in the Avalanche’s 3-2 overtime loss to Chicago, their fourth loss in a row (0-3-1).
"I thought he was really good yesterday, really good," coach Jared Bednar said after practice Sunday. "Gave us a real good chance to win the hockey game. If we capitalized on some of our chances, I think the game could have turned out differently."
Tyson Jost, who has spent most of the season shuttling between the second and fourth lines, might get a crack at the top unit with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
That’s where he was at practice after getting a couple of shifts there in the third period against the Blackhawks. He only played 7:37 overall and had one shot on goal.
“Nothing’s permanent, No. 1 … ever,… Bednar said of line combinations. “We’re thinking about it, yeah. It’s a possibility for sure.…
Matt Nieto was given a “maintenance day,… so the Avalanche had 11 forwards on the ice.
Bednar broke up the top line of Gabriel Landeskog, MacKinnon and Rantanen on Saturday, but that only lasted one full period. He reunited them at various times the rest of the game while experimenting with all four lines, with mixed results.
“I don’t know that we got any better, any worse out of it, to be honest with you,… Bednar said after the game. “We bumped them back, moved it around trying to spark some guys.…
Nieto replaced Landeskog to begin the game, but he eventually went back to his usual place on the third line with Carl Soderberg and Matt Calvert.
Now, it could be Jost’s turn to skate with Rantanen and MacKinnon, who are second and third in NHL scoring, respectively.
“I wanted to see him work with that line for a little bit today,… Bednar said. “I haven’t made any decisions yet. He had two really good shifts with that line (Saturday). MacK ends up getting a breakaway on the one and then they had a couple rebound chances where Josty came to the back door and had a couple cracks at it, so saw some positive things there in a minute and a half.…
Jost, 20, a first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2016 NHL draft, joined the Avalanche after playing one year at the University of North Dakota.
He has gone seven games without a point and has two assists and no goals in the past 15 games. He had three goals and four assists in the previous nine games after missing four games with a head injury.
Jost had 12 goals and 10 assists in 65 games as a rookie last season, and he was being counted on to play a significant role on the second line this year but has just four goals and seven assists in 35 games.
“For me as a coach, it’s clear … as a player, I think that he expects a lot from himself, demands a lot from himself,… Bednar said. “He’s hard on himself, so I think he internalizes some of what’s going on with him. To me, I keep trying to tell him to just focus on the process, free yourself up to go play.
“Don’t block yourself out, make sure you’re driving your legs. I want him to get back to being instinctual, just playing the game but also making sure he’s got the right level of competitiveness and playing through people and doing all the things you have to do as a player in this league to have success.
“Has it worked to this point? No, but his heart’s in the right place. I never doubt his try and his wanting to succeed, so it’s my job as a coach, and his coaches and his teammates job to help him through it, and he’ll get there.…
Mark Barberio (upper body), Colin Wilson (upper body) and Nikita Zadorov (lower body) all skated in red, non-contact jerseys, and Wilson took part in a few of the early team drills.
“Looks like he is making some good progress, but I don't have a timeline on him," Bednar said of Wilson, who was injured Dec. 21 against the Blackhawks.