Grubauer to Make First Start as an Av in Columbus

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--After backing up Semyon Varlamov to begin the 2018-19 campaign, Philipp Grubauer will play his first of the regular season on Tuesday when the Colorado Avalanche faces the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
Grubauer appeared in 35 outings last year for the Washington Capitals and posted a 15-10-3 record, 2.34 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and three shutouts. His last outing came in Game 2 of the Capitals' first-round series against Columbus on April 15.

Varlamov played the first two games of the season for the Avalanche, stopping 20-of-21 shots in the opener against the Minnesota Wild and making 35 saves against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
"[Grubauer] is a guy we have a lot of confidence in. Varly played really well in Game 1 so we went back with him in Game 2, turned out to be the right decision," said head coach Jared Bednar. "Now Grubi is going to get a chance to go in the net here. It's a team that he is familiar with, he played them over the last couple seasons out east and faced them in the playoffs a little bit.
"I think he will be excited to go, and hopefully our team can repeat our performance and even better our performances than we just had at home in front of him."
Grubauer was acquired from Washington in a draft-night trade on June 22 in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2017 draft (47th overall). Colorado also received Brooks Orpik in the deal, but he was soon bought out by the club.
"You want to get the two points, you want to play the right way first game, get off to a good start of the season," Grubauer said. "The guys played unbelievable the last two games, and we will try to carry that over. The last home game was really important before we go on the road."
The Avalanche will visit the Blue Jackets on Tuesday before playing at the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday on its first road trip of the season. Before hitting the road, the Avs had a 30-minute practice at Family Sports Center on Monday.
"It was good, nice early practice this morning," said veteran Ian Cole. "We had a day off [yesterday and] to be able to hop on quick, get a good quick skate, get to the plane and get right back at it in Columbus is going to be huge."
Defenseman Patrik Nemeth, who missed Colorado's game against the Flyers with an upper-body injury, practiced in a red, non-contact jersey, and Bednar is hopeful he will be able to play during the two-game trip.

MAINTENANCE DAY FOR LANDY

Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog was the only player who did not participate in the session.
"He is dealing with a little bit of a lower-body thing, so we gave him a maintenance day. Hopefully he is good to go," Bednar said of Landeskog after practice.
Veteran forward Matt Calvert practiced in Landeskog's spot on the left side of a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

KAMENEV RECALLED

Ahead of its two-game road trip, the Colorado Avalanche recalled forward Vladislav Kamenev from the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League.
"We recalled Kamenev because we need an extra forward to go on the road here," Bednar noted after practice. "Just like we said, when we are at home we will end up sending guys down to play, and we recalled him. We will see if he gets a look or if we keep it the same, we are still talking about our lineup."
The 22-year-old played in both of the Eagles' AHL outings to start the season and recorded one assist. He also skated in three contests with the Avalanche during the 2017-18 campaign.
"He brings a great skillset, he's got good size. I think there are a lot of areas where he can contribute and help us," said Bednar. "When he is going to get in, I am not sure yet, but we feel confident that he is a guy that we can grow with and he will get some opportunity here because we like what he brings to the table."

QUOTABLES

Goaltender Philipp Grubauer on playing his first game as an Avalanche: "It's always exciting, new team and first game. You want to get off to a right start, play the right way and start the season right."

Defenseman Ian Cole on team bonding on the road: "I think when you are here at home, guys have families or kids or priorities or whatever kind of pulls them away from the rink, they have lives to live when they get home. When we are on the road, we are pretty much just hanging out with each other, which is a huge plus. It's a great group of guys and certainly looking forward to getting to hang out with them a lot more."

Head Coach Jared Bednar on taking home success on the road:"I think we got to build on what we did at home this weekend, I think there are a lot of positives. It's a different year, different team starting over so the success at home you want it to continue, our road record we know we want to improve it."