Semyon Varlamov will start in goal Thursday when the Avalanche and New Jersey Devils meet at the Pepsi Center.
Varlamov, who was scratched Tuesday against Los Angeles because of a groin injury, skated and took some shots in the morning and told coach Patrick Roy he was ready to play.
"He said he was a hundred percent and he will play," Roy said. "I have no doubt it's going to go well. If he would be 90 percent, he would not play."
Reto Berra will be the backup. Roy said Calvin Pickard isn't permitted to suit up if Varlamov does because he was recalled Monday on an emergency basis from Lake Erie. Roy said they will wait until after the game before deciding whether to send Pickard back to the Monsters.
Varlamov was on the ice with Berra, Pickard, goalie coach Francois Allaire and two injured forwards, Patrick Bordeleau and Joey Hishon. Bordeleau is recovering from a fractured knee cap and Hishon from elbow and neck injuries.
Varlamov started 22 consecutive games, one short of Craig Anderson's Avalanche record, and was injured late in the third period Sunday in Minnesota. He was the NHL's second star last week after winning all three of his starts with one shutout, a 0.69 goals-against average and .981 save percentage.
Varlamov went 12-8-2 during the 22-game streak with two shutouts, a 2.36 average and .922 save percentage.
The Avalanche (30-26-11) have gone 8-4-0 in the past 12 games and trail Winnipeg by seven points for the second wild-card playoff spot in the West with 15 games left.
"I really love the mindset of our guys, they believe in themselves," Roy said. "They're all big games for everybody. I'm sure (the Devils) want to do the exact same thing as us, winning this hockey game and focusing on what they have to do. We're both going to need help to make the playoffs, but the first thing we can do is take care of ourselves."
The Devils (28-29-10) are 12 points behind Boston for the second wild card in the East with 15 games to go. They're 7-3-1 in their past 11 games.
Cory Schneider will start in goal for New Jersey. The Avalanche have beaten the Devils three consecutive times and have gone 6-0-1 against them in the past seven meetings. Here's the Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS Gabriel Landeskog - Ryan O'Reilly - Freddie Hamilton Jordan Caron - Matt Duchene - Jarome Iginla Alex Tanguay - John Mitchell - Dennis Everberg Cody McLeod - Marc-Andre Cliche - Daniel Briere
DEFENSE Jan Hejda - Zach Redmond Nate Guenin - Tyson Barrie Brad Stuart - Nick Holden
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Reto Berra