Semyon Varlamov has put three consecutive solid games together, which he capped off with the Avalanche's 2-1 overtime win Monday night against Minnesota at the Pepsi Center.
The rare win against the Wild came after the organization honored its 20th anniversary team, along with former president and general manager Pierre Lacroix -- in an impressive ceremony.
Varlamov only faced 20 shots, three in overtime, but he made enough tough saves to get the Avalanche two points.
Varlamov has gone 2-1-0 in his past three games with a 1.31 goals-against average and .955 save percentage. The loss in this stretch came Saturday when he stopped 41 of 43 shots in a 3-0 decision. He has a 7-8-1 record for the year with a 2.90 average and .900 save percentage, the first time in a while he's lowered his GAG under 3.
The Avalanche have won three of the past four games, all by 2-1 scores.
"I'm trying to come back and find my game," Varlamov said. "The goalie coach (Francois Allaire) helps me a lot and (coach) Patrick (Roy) helps me a lot. It doesn't matter how many shots (he faces), sometimes it's only five shots and three goals. It's been happening to me. It doesn't matter how many shots, 40 shots or 10 shots, I have to stay focused all the time and try to stop it."
Roy said Monday morning that Reto Berra will start Wednesday against Pittsburgh to complete the two-game homestand, and he repeated that Tuesday. Varlamov will start Saturday in Nashville to begin a three-game road trip.
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Tyson Barrie finished off a pretty tic-tac-toe passing play with Blake Comeau and Carl Soderberg to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 4:13 of the second period Monday. The goal ended Colorado's scoreless stretch against Minnesota at 116:06 since John Mitchell scored in second period of the teams' season opener for 4-1 lead that turned into that stunning 5-4 loss.
The Wild picked up a point but might not have gotten to overtime if the Avalanche had paid more attention to Zach Parise, who was allowed to park in front of the net and take a couple of whacks at the puck and tie the score with 6:09 left in the third period.
Mitchell scored the winning goal at 3:35 of the 3-on-3 overtime, just the Avalanche's second overtime of the season. They lost 1-0 to Carolina on Oct. 21.
The Wild were dominant against the Avalanche since winning their seven-game playoff series in 2014. They shut out Colorado four times in seven games heading before Monday and had won eight of the past nine.
"They're our rival and we hate 'em," Barrie said. "They've had our number the last few times and it feels good to get this one. It's been frustrating."
Not surprisingly, Varlamov isn't a fan of 3-on-3 hockey. What goalie would be?
"It's not fun for the goalie," he said. "Maybe it's more fun for the forwards because they're creating so many chances. They have lots of open ice and do breakouts and situations like a 2-on-1. It's a battle. The fans love it and this game is for the fans. They love to watch scoring chances, they like to watch when the goalies make a big save."
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The Penguins announced Tuesday that forward Pascal Dupuis will no longer play hockey because of a medical condition related to blood clots.
Dupuis, 36, played 18 games this season while taking blood thinners but experienced several recent medical incidents possibly related to his condition. He had to be removed from several games – most recently Dec. 1 at San Jose – and each time had to undergo a series of tests.
“Despite playing on a medical protocol that has worked for other players in the NHL, we feel that the risk of Pascal playing with his condition and the side effects of the tests to monitor him are just not in the best interest of his long-term health,… Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, the Penguins’ team physician, said in a statement.
Dupuis has been placed on the injured reserve list, and the Penguins intend to place him on long-term injured reserve.
Dupuis said he made the decision because of family concerns.
"One-hundred percent," he said. "If all this was on me or if I would have taken a selfish approach to this I probably would still be playing."
Dupuis had two goals and two assists in 18 games this season. He has 190 goals and 219 assists in 871 career games.