Semyon Varlamov gets the start Saturday when the Stanley Cup playoff-bound Avalanche play in San Jose to close out the regular season.
Other than giving Philipp Grubauer the night off, the Avalanche are going with their regular lineup.
The Sharks are doing the same and welcoming back defenseman Erik Karlsson, who has missed 17 games with a groin injury. Joonas Donskoi will replace Timo Meier (wrist injury) at left wing on a line with Logan Couture and wing Joe Pavelski.
While the Sharks will finish second in the Pacific Division and face Vegas in the first round of the playoffs, the Avalanche won’t know the identity of their opponent until later Saturday.
They have the second wild card now and would meet Western Conference leader Calgary if it stays that way, but are one point behind Dallas, which holds the first wild card and plays Minnesota in its finale. If the Stars lose in regulation, the Avalanche would pass them with a win against the Sharks and meet the Central Division champion – Nashville, Winnipeg or St. Louis.
"We talked to our leadership group, everyone wants to play," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters after the morning skate. “There is still something to play for, that seventh seed, and we are going to play to win the hockey game.
“We are going to go with the same lineup, and we will try not to overwork guys certainly. We want to play hard, so we are not just sitting back on our heels.
"We are going to play Varly in net, get him another start here so we have both goalies active and ready going into the playoffs. We are going to play our lineup, and we are going to play to win.…
The Avalanche lineup:
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon – Alexander Kerfoot Colin Wilson -- Carl Soderberg – J.T. Compher Matt Nieto – Derick Brassard -- Matt Calvert Sven Andrighetto – Tyson Jost -- Gabriel Bourque
Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson Nikita Zadorov -- Tyson Barrie Ian Cole -- Patrik Nemeth
Semyon Varlamov Philipp Grubauer