Not bad, not bad at all.
No, Calvin Pickard didn't need to make many tough saves Thursday in the Avalanche's 3-0 win against the injury-riddled and offense-challenged New Jersey Devils, but he turned aside all 27 shots he faced, which is all you can ask while recording his first NHL shutout.
It was a relatively easy night for Pickard, 23, but that's because the Avalanche played so much better in front of him than they did for Semyon Varlamov in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay, in part because 20-year-old defensemen Nikita Zadorov and Chris Bigras did just fine.
I thought the 6-5, 220-pound Zadorov was particularly good while paired with Francois Beauchemin. He logged 19:52 in ice time, had three shots on goal, two hits and helped kill off all three Devils power plays.
Bigras, 6-1, 190, had some early trouble at times while battling for possession with some of the Devils' bigger forwards and he took a hooking penalty against 6-3, 200 left wing Sergey Kalinin in the corner late in the first period. Some of that can probably be attributed to nerves in his NHL debut, but he didn't look out of place while paired with Zach Redmond (who was guilty of some giveaways). Bigras had two hits in 13:43 of playing time and was a plus-1.
“Big 'Z' and Bigsy played very well," said Pickard, who was recalled from San Antonio on Christmas Day because backup Reto Berra is out with an ankle injury. "It was nice to have those guys. I’m comfortable playing with those guys from the minor leagues, and I thought they did a very good job."
For now, the Avalanche (22-20-3) hold the second wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference, one point in front of Nashville, which rallied from a three-goal deficit in Winnipeg to get to overtime and grab an important point in a 5-4 loss.
Coach Patrick Roy said before the game that he was hoping for Zadorov and Bigras to provide a "spark" after they were summoned Wednesday from San Antonio.
"I think they did," he said after the game. "That's what we wanted and I think they did. I thought they both played a good game."
The defense corps will be a lot stronger when Erik Johnson returns from his knee injury. The Avalanche didn't practice Friday before leaving for Columbus, where they open a two-game road trip Saturday, and Johnson hasn't yet taken part in a full practice since getting hurt Jan. 4 against Los Angeles. They also play Monday in Winnipeg.
More decisions will have to be made once Johnson and Brad Stuart return. Stuart hasn't played since hurting his back Nov. 10 in Philadelphia. Andrew Bodnarchuk was odd man out Thursday.
Matt Duchene, who scored 51 seconds into the game off a Nick Holden setup, was impressed with the two young defensemen.
" 'Z' and Bigras played great, very solid," he said. "They did everything I think that was expected of them. We had no passengers, everybody played hard. We were very disappointed in our game against Tampa. It was a very lackluster effort and we needed to come back and bounce back, and we did."
But Duchene feels badly for Nate Guenin, who cleared waivers but remains on the team for now.
"It's tough to see that happen to him, he's one of the best teammates I've ever had," Duchene said. "I wish nothing but the best for him. He's still with us, so he can get back in at some point."
Tyson Barrie scored a shorthanded goal in the second period, driving to the net to cash in the rebound of Nathan MacKinnon's shot on a 2-on-1 rush, and Carl Soderberg scored into an empty net with 27.5 seconds remaining in the third.
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Pickard credited teammates for helping him earn his first shutout.
"We got off to a good start and that was huge for our game," he said. "(Penalty killing) was huge, we killed off a few penalties and all night it seemed like we were the most desperate team. The forwards were really going to the net and the 'D' were clearing rebounds, blocking shots. It was a full team effort for sure.
A teammate retrieved the puck at the final buzzer and placed it on a shelf in Pickard's locker.
"It's going to go in my room somewhere," he said. "I'm going to put that on the wall for sure. To finally get a shutout, it's exciting."
Said Roy: "Calvin was really good. I thought we played well in front of him as well, but a shutout is a shutout. He had to make some saves and he did."
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Didn't get a chance to talk to Zadorov after the game, but Bigras was pretty excited to have played a role in an important win.
"Especially with the situation the team is in, battling for a playoff spot," he said. "I had some nerves coming in, but after a first few shifts you kind of get your legs underneath you. It was great to get the first one under the belt. It was a great experience, a memory I won't ever forget. I was just trying to enjoy the experience overall and just kind of take everything in.
"I made a couple mistakes, but I thought I made some good plays as well. I just tried to keep it simple out there, make the first play that I saw and jumping in from there whenever I could. I just tried to make the simple play and as the game wore on I did feel more comfortable."
As for staying in the lineup: "I think I’ve just got to keep making simple plays, good plays, and jump up into the offense and try to provide a little bit more that way.…