Right wing PA Parenteau will play tonight when the Avalanche meets the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Pepsi Center, right wing Alex Tanguay might be available as early as Friday in Florida, and defenseman Nate Guenin will return after getting in a few practice sessions.
The Avalanche has managed to do a lot more than merely survive a number of injuries to key players, putting together an 8-1-2 record in the past 11 games to stay well ahead of the Central Division pack in the race for third place and a guaranteed berth in the playoffs.
"We're very happy with our effort, there's no doubt about it," coach Patrick Roy said Tuesday morning. "Missing that many players first of all requires an outstanding performance from your goalie (Semyon Varlamov), and also belief in what we're doing. It was a great opportunity for everyone to step in and show something and I think they did that. They played so well for us."
Parenteau, who missed 10 games with a sprained left knee, will play on the fourth line with Patrick Bordeleau and Marc-Andre Cliche, and will have to play well to move up the pecking order.
Tanguay "keeps skating, keeps doing well," Roy said. "We'll see in Florida." Tanguay has missed 35 games with knee and hip injuries since getting hurt in a Nov. 2 game against Montreal.
Roy said Guenin, who has missed seven games with an ankle injury, would be activated Tuesday from injured reserve. "He'll have a few practices and we'll see how his conditioning is," Roy said.
Forward John Mitchell didn't practice Monday because of illness and the Avalanche told him to stay home Tuesday to rest. Roy expects he'll play against Toronto. Defenseman Erik Johnson fell ill Monday afternoon and didn't skate Tuesday, but Roy also expects he'll play against the Maple Leafs.
Defenseman Karl Stollery has been reassigned to Lake Erie in the AHL.
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Roy was asked Tuesday morning if he feels he has a goalie capable of winning the Stanley Cup in Varlamov, who in the past 17 appearances (16 starts) has gone 11-0-5 with a 2.18 goals-against average and .934 save percentage.
"You know what? Yes," Roy said. "I hate to talk about results because the approach we have with Varly is one day at a time and not to look too far ahead and one save at a time, and he's been doing just that for us. He's been very consistent every night and gives us a chance to win. That's what you want from your goalie. Is it too early to say yes? I think he's in the right direction."
Varlamov hasn't lost in regulation since Dec. 10, a 3-1 defeat to Phoenix. He has a 2-0-1 career record against Toronto with a 1.95 average and .939 save percentage.
***** When center Matt Duchene scored Saturday against Nashville, it ended a 13-game slump without a goal.
"It's a little more frustrating when you're not getting chances, but when you are getting chances I think you can stay positive," he said.
Duchene said he's excited about playing the Maple Leafs.
"I wasn't a Leaf fan growing up, but all my buddies were and still are," he said. "I'll definitely be sending out some little jab texts today before we play and I'm sure they'll give it right back to me. You play a big market team, an Original Six, it's always pretty cool. Even though I wasn't a Leaf fan growing up, I grew up watching them. They were on every Saturday night and I watched a ton of games and I knew all the players. It's one of those games where you really feel you're in the NHL."
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Maple Leafs center Tyler Bozak is a big Denver Broncos fan, which he proved by wearing an orange-and-blue striped dress shirt while a handful of teammates took part in an optional skate Tuesday. Those are the Super Bowl-bound team's colors.
Bozak attended the University of Denver for two years and makes his offseason home in Denver. He is friends with Toronto native and Broncos offensive tackle Orlando Franklin, who will attend the game Tuesday.
"I told him to bring Peyton (Manning), but I don't know if he's going to," Bozak said.
The Leafs have won five games in a row to move back into the hunt for an Eastern Conference playoff position.
"We just started to do the little things a little bit better," said Bozak, who centers Toronto's high-scoring top line with James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel. "We're burying more of our opportunities. There's going to be stretches during a season where you lose games in a row and there's going to be stretches where you win them. You just have to stay positive and I think we did a good job of staying confident and positive when we were losing and to get back on track."
Toronto lost four consecutive games before going on this run, prompting this from Roy:
"Two weeks ago in Toronto I thought they were going to trade everybody. Two weeks later, they're talking about winning the Stanley Cup. They're playing well. They have a lot of skill, there's no doubt about it. It'll be a good challenge for our team."
How the Avalanche lineup is expected to look against Toronto:
FORWARDS Ryan O'Reilly -- Matt Duchene -- Jamie McGinn Gabriel Landeskog -- Paul Stastny -- Nathan MacKinnon Cody McLeod -- John Mitchell -- Max Talbot Patrick Bordeleau -- Marc-Andre Cliche -- PA Parenteau
DEFENSE Erik Johnson -- Jan Hejda Andre Benoit -- Ryan Wilson Nick Holden -- Tyson Barrie
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Jean-Sebastien Giguere