Varlamov Leads Avs To 10th Straight Home Win

It had been six weeks since Semyon Varlamov guarded the pipes at Pepsi Center, and it didn't take long for the Colorado Avalanche goaltender to return to his acrobatic ways on his home ice.
Varlamov stopped all 44 shots he faced Wednesday to help the Avalanche shutout the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 in a Valentine's Day matchup.

"He was unbelievable today for us," said Colorado forward Carl Soderberg, who netted the first tally of the game. "I don't think we played our best game, but Varly played really good and won that game for us."
Varlamov had to be at his best when the rest of the Avs weren't having their strongest games. Montreal had a 44-25 edge in shots on goal and a 77-47 advantage in total shot attempts.
After the contest, Colorado head coach Jared Bednar credited Varlamov for helping the squad get the win and move to within two points of the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
"You can't pick a playoff team right now that their goalies haven't stolen games during the year," Bednar said. "You need it every once and awhile when you don't have your best stuff, and that's what we got tonight."

The shutout was Varlamov's second of the season and 19th as a member of the Avalanche.
"That was a heavy game, very difficult to play," Varlamov said. "It seems like they were shooting from everywhere today. We battled with our game, and we won today. Very happy about it because we know how important those two points [are]."
Colorado has now won two games in a row and hasn't lost at home since Dec. 27. The Avs' winning streak at Pepsi Center is at 10 straight games, tying the franchise record and equaling the longest this season at home by any NHL club. The Avalanche has never trailed during the run.
The team is on a stretch where it is playing 13-of-16 on the road, making the points available in contests in its own barn extremely valuable.

"We needed that win. I don't know how, but we found a way to get it done. Give them credit, we've been good here," Bednar said. "I didn't love us tonight, but Varly comes up big and gets us the win. That is what we need sometimes out of our goaltenders. He was really good. We get the win, it's good, we needed the points."
The last time Varlamov played at home was Jan. 2 against the Winnipeg Jets, but he left in the second period of the contest with a lower-body injury. The goalie missed a month's worth of action before returning to the crease on Feb. 3 at Winnipeg and played in two games on the Avs' recent road trip.
In his return home on Wednesday, there were no nerves for Varlamov. Just confidence.
"I felt pretty calm before the game," he said. "Just tried to stay focused and have a good start."
He looked right at home.

POINTING TOWARD BOURQUE

Gabriel Bourque continues to make an impact on and off the scoreboard.
Bourque had the primary assist on Carl Soderberg's game-opening goal in the second period and finished the outing with two hits and a takeaway. The forward also played 3:01 of his 16:27 of total ice time on the penalty kill.
Colorado went 4-for-4 in short-handed situations and is first in the NHL in home penalty kill with a 92.2-percent success rate (83-for-90). The club also had to kill a 40-second 5-on-3 power play early in the third period.
Bourque now has four points (three goals and an assist) in his last five games and continues to wear an alternate captain patch while Nathan MacKinnon and Blake Comeau are out with injuries.
"The No. 1 thing that points out to me is how hard he competes on a daily basis," Bednar said of Bourque after Wednesday's morning skate. For a guy that was in and out of our lineup, up and down, comes in and he's just brings this sort of quiet leadership that we need in the way he plays. He plays the right way every day, every game, every practice. He sacrifices his body on the penalty kill, plays a big role in that department.
"His game is getting better the more he plays. He's chipping in offensively here in the last month, and we need that. It is a necessity that we get guys stepping up offensively in order to stay in this (playoff) race."

NIETO PLAYS

There was some worry before Wednesday's contest that forward Matt Nieto might not be able to play after getting hurt Tuesday. Those concerns didn't materialize as Nieto was able to participate.
He was on his usual line with teammates Carl Soderberg and Gabriel Bourque and saw 19:09 of ice time. The trio has been together for the last three games, with Bourque taking the spot that had previously been held by Comeau, who is out with a lower-body injury.
As insurance in case Nieto couldn't play, the Avs recalled forward Rocco Grimaldi from the San Antonio Rampage on Tuesday night. Grimaldi and defenseman Duncan Siemens were the healthy scratches.

MILESTONE NIGHT

It was a special night at Pepsi Center as the Avalanche played its 3,000th game in franchise history. The contest was also the 1,500th at home in Colorado/Quebec Nordiques history.
The club has played 1,744 outings as the Avalanche and 1,256 as the Nordiques. The team owns an all-time record of 1373-1255-261-111.

Colorado played its 1,500th road contest in franchise history on Sunday at the Buffalo Sabres.
The Avs joined the Arizona Coyotes (then Winnipeg Jets) and Carolina Hurricanes (then Hartford Whalers) as franchises from the 1979-80 NHL expansion to reach the 3,000-game mark this week. The Edmonton Oilers will skate in their 3,000th on Thursday at the Vegas Golden Knights.