The Jarome Iginla Goal Watch continues Saturday. The Avalanche right wing still needs one goal to become the 19th player in NHL history to score 600, and he could do it against his former team, the Calgary Flames, at the Pepsi Center.
"It's kind of cool, for sure. It'd be nice to get it against Calgary, but at the same time when it happens, it happens," Iginla said after the morning skate. "We know as a team we need to climb back into a playoff spot and it's an important game for us, so it's definitely a side story and not our focus.
"I'm definitely thankful to be close to it. I'd love to get it and will really enjoy getting it and not have to think about it and talk about it. The guys have been great and supportive and they probably want to see me get it and be over with it too. We'll see what happens."
Iginla played his first 15-plus seasons with Calgary, was team captain for nine, and he scored 525 of his 599 regular-season goals while wearing a flaming 'C' on his jersey.
Former Avalanche and present Flames coach Bob Hartley got to coach Iginla in 2012-13 in Calgary before the right wing was sent to Pittsburgh at the NHL trading deadline.
"Well, I hope (the goal comes) next week and I'll be very happy for him," Hartley said. "I've coached him and what a classy athlete, great performer. He's done so much for the Flames organization. I've been following it. Hopefully it's not karma that he gets his 600th against his old team. We're going to try to make sure it doesn't happen, but if it does happen we have to tip our hat for him because he's a great pro, a great man and he's done a lot for the Flames and the city of Calgary."
Iginla had two goals and an assist in the Avalanche's 6-3 win against the Flames on Nov. 3, giving him two goals and four assists in six career games against them. He's been playing on a line with center Nathan MacKinnon and left wing Alex Tanguay, a Flames teammate for parts of five seasons.
Iginla, who has 10 goals in 38 games this season, had three shots on goal Thursday in the Avalanche's 4-3 overtime loss to Chicago, a couple of them on one-timers on power plays.
"I think last game we tried to feed him too much," MacKinnon said. "Tonight we'll just play and hopefully he'll get a look. If it's a 2-on-1 we're probably going to pass. It's pretty cool to potentially be a part of something like that. It'd be really cool if it comes against Calgary."
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Defenseman Tyson Barrie will be in the lineup after missing Thursday's game because of flu-like symptoms. He took part in the morning skate and pronounced himself fit to play.
"I feel really good," he said. "It was a 24-hour thing and I feel good now. I woke up (Friday) and felt better. This morning I was back to normal. I'm excited to get back in there."
With Barrie back, Nate Guenin likely will be scratched.
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The Avalanche (18-17-3) have gone 6-1-2 in their past nine games, went 9-3-2 in December and are four points behind Nashville for the second wild card playoff berth in the West. The Predators are in Carolina on Saturday.
The Flames (17-18-2), who have lost two games in a row, also are battling to earn a playoff position. They're three points behind third-place Vancouver in the Pacific Division and seven behind the Predators.
Here's the Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS Alex Tanguay - Nathan MacKinnon - Jarome Iginla Andreas Martinsen -John Mitchell - Matt Duchene Gabriel Landeskog - Carl Soderberg - Blake Comeau Cody McLeod - Mikhail Grigorenko - Jack Skille
DEFENSE Francois Beauchemin - Erik Johnson Nick Holden - Tyson Barrie Brandon Gormley - Zach Redmond
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Calvin Pickard