Goalie Reto Berra will play the entire game Thursday night when the Avalanche meet Calgary at the Pepsi Center in their second preseason game.
Right wing Jarome Iginla won't play because of a sore hip. He didn't practice Wednesday but "should be back soon," coach Patrick Roy said.
Berra and Calvin Pickard are competing for the backup position behind Semyon Varlamov, and Roy said Wednesday "it's too early" to give either an edge. He said Varlamov would play Sunday against Los Angeles at the Pepsi Center, and that Pickard will get a full game next Tuesday in Calgary.
One will start the season in Colorado, the other with the Avalanche's new AHL affiliate in San Antonio.
Berra, 28, went 5-4-1 last season with one shutout -- he made 41 saves April 9 in a 1-0 shootout win against Winnipeg -- a 2.65 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 19 games with the Avalanche. He had a 3-1-1 record with Lake Erie in the AHL -- he even scored an empty-net goal -- with a 2.57 average and .914 save percentage.
Pickard, 23, began the season with Lake Erie but was summoned a total of five times, originally because Varlamov was sidelined with a groin injury. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 16 in Ottawa when Berra was forced to leave because of a neck injury.
Pickard eventually played in 15 more games with the Avalanche while Varlamov was injured and after Roy lost faith in Berra, who was pulled in the first period in back-to-back games in November against Arizona and Carolina. Pickard faced a combined 42 shots in those games without allowing a goal to earn his first two NHL wins in relief.
Pickard finished with a 6-7-3 record in Colorado with a 2.35 average and .932 save percentage. He went 23-17-9 in 50 games with Lake Erie, posting a 2.61 average and .917 save percentage.
Both goalies are intent on winning the No. 2 job, though Berra would seem to have an economic advantage with two years left on a contract with a $1.45 million salary cap hit. Pickard signed a one-year, two-way contract this summer worth $850,000 if he's in the NHL.
"I had a really good summer of work and I'm in really good shape and I feel really good right now," said Berra, who stopped all 14 shots he faced in 1 1-2 periods Sunday in the Burgundy and White game. "It was a good start. I have a good focus and I'm going day by day. I'm playing (Thursday) and it's exciting. I'm just trying to focus on the details and have a good work attitude."
Berra said he feels more comfortable now that he's in his second camp with the Avalanche, having been traded from the Flames for a second-round draft pick in March 2014.
"I had a good finish last year and that's how I feel right now and I just want to keep going like that," he said. "You get confidence by playing good. So far in camp I've had really good practices."
Berra and Pickard attended Avalanche goalie coach Francois Allaire's week-long camp in Switzerland in July to work on technique and get back into hockey after having plenty of time off.
"He's a really good guy," Berra said of Pickard. "We motivate each other. Everybody brings out the best in the other one. It's competition, we're both battling for this job, but we're friends. It's a really good and healthy relationship."
Pickard agreed, saying they are friendly off the ice but need to worry about themselves when they are on the ice.
"There's no question there's a competition going on for the backup spot. We both want it," Pickard said. "All I can focus on is myself and not worry about what else is going on and take care of me and put my best foot forward."
The Magness Arena crowd gave Pickard a rousing cheer Sunday when he relieved Berra midway through the second period.
"Yeah, that was pretty cool," said Pickard, who stopped 16 of 17 shots. "That means a lot to me. The fans here have been unbelievable ever since I've been a part of the organization and to hear those cheers was special for me."
Like Berra, Pickard arrived in camp feeling comfortable and confident.
"From last year's camp to this year's camp, playing those NHL games, I feel that much more comfortable," Pickard said. "I know what to expect and I'm familiar with all the guys. When you're comfortable, you can just focus on what you need to control on the ice in your game and I feel I'm doing that."
Pickard proved to himself, as well as to Avalanche management, that's he's more than capable of playing well at the NHL level.
"I always felt I was capable of playing here," said Pickard, who owns Lake Erie career records for games (142) and wins (60). "I wasn't ready when I was 18, 19 or even 20, but playing a lot of games in the minors in a lot of different situations definitely helped me to get to this point. I just have to keep on seasoning and playing more games and I feel like I can stick at this level.
"I definitely want to stick up here. That's my main goal, but all I can do is focus on what I do on the ice and leave the rest to the guys upstairs."