Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said after practice Friday that he hasn't lost faith in goalie Semyon Varlamov, who will start Saturday against Winnipeg and on Monday against the New York Islanders to open a four-game road trip.
Varlamov was replaced by Reto Berra early in the second period Wednesday after allowing three goals on 15 shots in the Avalanche's 5-3 loss to Ottawa. Roy was particularly upset by the Senators' first goal, which Shane Prince scored from above the right circle near the boards. The puck went underneath Varlamov's pads and trickled across the goal line.
"It was clear in my mind (Varlamov) was playing," Roy said of Saturday's game. "He's our No. 1 goalie and I'm behind him."
Roy said he wasn't playing well in 1992-93 with Montreal, but that coach Jacques Demers continued to use him, and he regained his confidence. The Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup.
"It was a tough year and it would have been easy for coach Demers to put the other guy in and he stood by me, by my side, and at the end (it) made a big impact," Roy said. "I said the same thing this morning to Varly, 'I'm with you for the good and the bad, and we'll find a way to get your game going.' "
Varlamov has a 4-6-1 record with a 3.22 goals-against average and .890 save percentage.
Roy said the fact that Varlamov played well last Monday in Winnipeg didn't influence his decision to start him Saturday. Varlamov made 20 saves in the Avalanche's 4-1 win. It was his first game after missing seven in a row, five because of a groin injury.
"He’s our No. 1 goalie," Roy said. "Like I said, I was very upfront with you guys after (Wednesday's) game and said the first goal was a bad goal. From there, he’s our No. 1 goalie and I’m behind him."
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Dennis Everberg cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL's San Antonio Rampage, leaving the Avalanche with 11 forwards, so they recalled Andrew Agozzino.
Agozzino, 24, is leading the Rampage in scoring with seven goals and nine assists in 13 games.
John Mitchell (oblique) and Alex Tanguay (knee) practiced Friday while wearing non-contact jerseys and Roy said it was possible both could play in the upcoming road trip. Mitchell has missed nine of the past 11 games. Tanguay has missed eight games since getting hurt Nov. 6 against the New York Rangers and was expected to miss two more weeks.
"(Tanguay) looks good," Roy said. " I spoke to (trainer) Matt (Sokolowski) the last two days and if (Tanguay) keeps improving and practicing like this, there's a chance he plays on the trip. (Both) should play somewhere on the trip. That's as of today."
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Everberg, 23, began the season in San Antonio, where he had three goals and two assists in three games. He was called up Oct. 22 and didn't have a point in 15 NHL games. He had three goals and nine assists in 55 NHL games last season.
"We didn’t see as much physicality in his game," Roy said of Everberg's demotion. "I wanted him to finish his checks. Defensively, he was not as good as he was last year. When we talked to him, (general manager) Joe (Sakic) and I, we mentioned that we want him to be more intense out there and compete more, winning battles.
"That’s the role we like to see from a fourth-line guy. I think he thought that he needed to score goals, and that’s not what we expect. We expect a player that competes hard and (does) a better job defensively as well."