Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov has an upper-body injury that prevented him from practicing Friday, so Calvin Pickard will start Saturday against Vancouver at the Pepsi Center.
Coach Jared Bednar said he thinks Varlamov should be able to practice Sunday, but the Avalanche called up goalie Spencer Martin from AHL San Antonio to back up Pickard against the Canucks.
"(Varlamov) should be full practice by Sunday," Bednar said.
Also, captain Gabriel Landeskog (lower-body injury) skated on his own and took part in a portion of practice while wearing a non-contact jersey, but he won't play Saturday. He's expected to skate Saturday morning. He's missed four games.
"He's progressing," Bednar said. "We just have to be taking that one day by day. He still hasn't taken any contact. He skated the last couple days, so he's moving in the right direction."
Rene Bourque was ill and didn’t practice, but he's expected to play against the Canucks. He and Matt Duchene lead the team with seven goals each.
“I'm assuming he's going to be good for tomorrow," Bednar said. "He’s not feeling well this morning, so we wanted to keep him away from the rink."
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Pickard is 4-1-0 with a shutout, 2.07 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in six games. He last played Saturday in Minnesota and had 41 saves in a 3-2 win.
"I feel good, real sharp," he said. "We've had some good practice time (since). I got some good work in today. I'm definitely ready and prepared for Vancouver. You're only as good as your last game, and I want to back it up and keep it going."
Pickard is excited because it's a Hockey Night in Canada game, the reason for the 8 p.m. MT start.
"As Canadians we all grew up watching it, so it's going to be fun," he said.
This is as comfortable as Pickard has felt after being shuttled back and forth from the minors the previous two seasons. He signed a two-year, $2 million contract in July and picked out a place to live at the start of the season.
"It definitely gives you a sense of comfort," he said. "But that being said, things change quickly. You have to always stay on your toes and be ready for when you're called upon. Every game's an audition for everybody, so it's another game for me tomorrow to prove that I belong in this league.
"It's nice to have a place and to be able to cook some meals. It's much better than a hotel. It's definitely nice to be comfortable, to have a place and be settled in a good area. It's a great city and it's really nice to be here. It's a business and I have to stick with it and keep playing the way I've been playing and take advantage of my opportunities."
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The Avalanche are down to 12 forwards after sending A.J. Greer back to San Antonio on Thursday.
"He can certainly come back," Bednar said. "We've already moved him up and down a couple times. He played well for us. We have enough forwards here now, and hopefully Landy is getting close. We want to keep him going. He's been a good player for us, but with the 12 guys we have here now and Landy coming it's probably a good idea for him to get down there and get more minutes.
"I think he's done some real good things for us. He skates, he helps with our pace of play. He has fresh legs and is always on pucks, hard on pucks and getting to the front of the net. We like what we're seeing from him for sure."
Mikhail Grigorenko, who was scratched Wednesday against Edmonton, took Greer's spot at practice with Carl Soderberg and Matt Duchene.