Things are getting back to normal for the Avalanche as the team gets ready for Friday's game against Phoenix at the Pepsi Center.
Semyon Varlamov will start in goal and fellow Olympians Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Paul Stastny managed to get some decent rest after having little time to get over jet lag before playing Wednesday in the 6-4 loss to Los Angeles. They also had to adjust to the smaller ice surface.
Max Talbot will return to the third line after missing the Kings game to be with his fiancee, Cynthia Phaneuf, who gave birth to a boy, Jaxson, around 4 a.m. Thursday.
"It's exciting and we're really happy," Talbot said after the morning skate. "I'm glad I was able to miss a practice here and there. Coach (Patrick Roy) was really nice about that. My fiancee was a trooper; she's amazing."
Talbot also feels a sense of relief because the due date was Feb. 5 in the middle of the Avalanche's East Coast road trip before the Olympic break. He was concerned about having to make a cross-country flight and possibly not being present for the birth of his first child. He was also a bit nervous because Cynthia was overdue.
"You think about it, but at the same time it went well," he said. "We had the break to relax and spend some time together and get some sleep before the baby is born and will wake us up in the middle of the night. Overall everything is perfect. The baby is healthy, mom is healthy and we're really, really proud and excited."
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Talbot's return means defensemen Ryan Wilson will be scratched. He was skating with Erik Johnson after the morning skate, longer than usual on game day because the ice was still available. The Coyotes didn't have a morning skate after playing Thursday in Winnipeg. Johnson will complete his two-game suspension for his Feb. 8 slash against the New York Islanders' Frans Nielsen.
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The Avalanche wants to get off to a quick start and put some pressure on the Coyotes, who are playing the second game of a back-to-back situation. They lost 3-2 in a shootout in Winnipeg on Thursday and are one point behind eighth-place Dallas for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Goalie Mike Smith played Thursday, so Thomas Greiss gets the start. He's 4-0-0 in his career against the Avalanche with a shutout, a 1.25 goals-against average and .963 save percentage. He made 29 saves Dec. 10 in a 3-1 win against the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center.
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Some comments from Duchene, Landeskog and Stastny on how it felt to play Wednesday from a physical standpoint after spending two weeks in Russia.
* Duchene: "I didn't feel great, but I had a lot of fun. It's a way different style of hockey I just played. The ice is so much smaller and way more stuff happens. The game is a little slower than what we were just playing. There are more chances, for and against, which is more entertaining to play. There's just more action and I enjoyed it.
"I had some shifts where I felt great and some where I was running on empty. I feel I'm close to being back to being adjusted. It's an 11-hour time difference so around 4 (p.m.) or 5 I hit a wall. But after a good sleep I should be ready to go."
* Landeskog: "I felt pretty good, aside from the altitude getting to me in the first period. After that I felt good. I'm happy to be back on the small ice. I certainly feel more at home here. I'm looking forward to getting back at it and keep working and things are going to click."
* Stastny: "I had to get acclimated to the altitude again, and an eight o'clock game was a little tougher. The first couple days you're back, you're more excited. You don't even feel (jet lag). Then it hits you. Even after the game I didn't get a lot of sleep. After practicing yesterday I had my first good night's sleep. It's been four or five days, so you finally get used to it. It was good to get that first game out of the way and now I feel we're back to being our normal selves."
Here's the Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS Ryan O'Reilly -- Matt Duchene -- PA Parenteau Gabriel Landeskog -- Paul Stastny -- Nathan MacKinnon Max Talbot -- John Mitchell -- Jamie McGinn Cody McLeod -- Marc-Andre Cliche -- Patrick Bordeleau
DEFENSE Jan Hejda -- Nick Holden Andre Benoit -- Cory Sarich Nate Guenin -- Tyson Barrie
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Jean-Sebastien Giguere