Have a safe and happy New Year!
Avalanche coach Patrick Roy has one New Year's resolution: to win the Stanley Cup again in Denver. That isn't likely to happen this season, but the team has made considerable progress and is looking like a playoff team for the first time in four years.
Roy's immediate goal is for the Avalanche to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Pepsi Center tonight and put an end to a four-game losing streak (0-1-3) that includes two shootout losses and one in overtime.
The Avalanche opened its seven-game homestand Sunday with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
"It is an important moment in our season," Roy said of the homestand. "We're facing good teams. Columbus is a very good team and we're going to have to be sharp for them tonight. It's a great opportunity to try and put some wins together and try to move up in the standings. It will be playoff hockey to the end because I think everybody sees the urgency to win games."
The Avalanche is playing at home on New Year's Eve for the third time since the franchise has been in Denver, the first time at the Pepsi Center. The previous two games were played at McNichols Sports Arena in 1998 (a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers) and 1997 (a 3-1 win against the New York Islanders).
Semyon Varlamov will start in goal for the Avalanche. He's gone 3-0-4 in his past eight games (seven starts) with a 2.06 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. He has a 3-2-1 career record against Columbus with two shutouts, a 1.66 goals-against average and .945 save percentage.
Sergei Bobrovsky is still sidelined because of a groin injury, though he skated this morning, so former Colorado College star Curtis McElhinney will start for the Blue Jackets. He's 2-1-0 in his career against the Avalanche with one shutout, a 2.67 average and .914 save percentage.
Columbus, which is starting a four-game road trip, has won three of its past four games and is a decent road team with an 8-9-2 record. The Blue Jackets are 4-6-1 against Western Conference teams.
The Avalanche is 12-5-2 at home and has gone 8-3-0 against Eastern Conference teams.
The Avalanche Alumni Association will honor former forward and current Blue Jackets assistant coach Dan Hinote before the game. Hinote spent his first six NHL seasons with the Avalanche and was a member of the 2001 Stanley Cup championship team.
Expected Avalanche lineup for tonight:
FORWARDS Jamie McGinn -- Matt Duchene -- Ryan O'Reilly Gabriel Landeskog -- Paul Stastny -- Nathan MacKinnon Cody McLeod -- John Mitchell -- Maxime Talbot Brad Malone -- Marc-Andre Cliche -- Patrick Bordeleau
DEFENSE Erik Johnson -- Jan Hejda Andre Benoit -- Cory Sarich Ryan Wilson -- Tyson Barrie
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Jean-Sebastien Giguere