Semyon Varlamov starts in goal Thursday when the Avalanche play Calgary to open a two-game road trip.
Philipp Grubauer will start Friday in Vancouver.
The GAME NOTES.
Right wing Mikko Rantanen, meanwhile, was named the NHL’s first star for October after scoring a league-leading 21 points in 12 games, helping the Avalanche finish the month with a 7-3-2 record.
Rantanen is the first Avalanche player to lead the league in scoring through the end of October since Joe Sakic in 1996-97.
Rantanen, who turned 22 on Monday, had a point in each of the first nine games (as did linemate Nathan MacKinnon) to match a Colorado record point streak from the start of a season. He had a point in every game but one, the Avalanche’s 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay on Oct. 24.
The third-year forward has five goals and a league-high 16 assists. He had two or more points in five games, with two four-point games. He and linemate Gabriel Landeskog had a league-best plus-14 plus/minus figure.
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin was named second star, Chicago’s Patrik Kane third star.
Your Three Stars of the Month:
— NHL (@NHL) November 1, 2018
â Mikko Rantanen: 5-16—21 in 12 GP
ââ @emalkin71geno: 6-13—19 in 10 GP
âââ @88PKane: 11-7—18 in 12 GP pic.twitter.com/5t9mmNaCuM
These players put on a show in October. ðŸ‘🼠pic.twitter.com/a4m7zwxvfC
— NHL (@NHL) November 1, 2018
Injured forwards Sven Andrighetto (lower body), J.T. Compher (head) and Tyson Jost (head) aren’t on the trip.
The lineup:
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen Alexander Kerfoot -- Vladislav Kamenev -- Colin Wilson Matt Nieto -- Carl Soderberg -- Matt Calvert A.J. Greer -- Sheldon Dries -- Marko Dano or Gabriel Bourque
Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson Ian Cole -- Tyson Barrie Nikita Zadorov -- Mark Barberio or Patrik Nemeth
Semyon Varlamov Philipp Grubauer