Projected Lineup: Avalanche vs. Blues

After being recalled and joining the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, defenseman Mark Alt will make his season debut tonight versus the St. Louis Blues at Pepsi Center.
"Mark Alt is coming in on the backend, (Mark) Barberio has got an upper-body injury so he is out. (Tyson) Barrie is still unable to go, so that's the change there," head coach Jared Bednar said after morning skate. "(Semyon) Varlamov is going to go back in net and then the forward lines are staying the same."

Alt has played in 16 career NHL games, including seven with Colorado last campaign after the team claimed him on waivers on Feb. 26 from the Philadelphia Flyers. He was named the captain of the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League before the season began and has four assists in 19 contests.
"Knowing how things operate and run, it's not as big of a jump. I've been here, I know a lot of these guys," Alt said of being with the Avs. "It makes that step a little easier as far as the off-ice stuff, coming to the locker room. As far as the play, [the goal is] just continuing what we did last year."
Varlamov has won his last five starts, posting a .928 save percentage and 2.21 goals-against average during the stretch.
Nathan MacKinnon will skate in his 400th NHL contest and J.T. Compher will play in his 100th game in the league.
Below is the Avalanche's projected lineup. The forward combinations and defensive pairings are subject to change.

Forwards

92 Gabriel Landeskog - 29 Nathan MacKinnon - 96 Mikko Rantanen
17 Tyson Jost - 13 Alexander Kerfoot - 22 Colin Wilson
83 Matt Nieto - 34 Carl Soderberg - 11 Matt Calvert
10 Sven Andrighetto - 91 Vladislav Kamenev - 37 J.T. Compher

Defensemen

49 Samuel Girard - 6 Erik Johnson
16 Nikita Zadorov - 28 Ian Cole
12 Patrik Nemeth - 7 Mark Alt

Goaltenders

1 Semyon Varlamov
31 Philipp Grubauer
Scratch: 57 Gabriel Bourque
Injury Report:44 Mark Barberio (upper body), 4 Tyson Barrie (lower body)