Backup goalie Calvin Pickard will start for the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov, who started each of the past three games, will be out until at least after the All-Star break because of a groin injury. "This is no longer a day-to-day thing, it has happened too much," coach Jared Bednar told the Avalanche website Wednesday. "It has obviously affected his ability to get in a rhythm and play well for us. Staying healthy, I'm sure, has a large part to do with that." Colorado has lost three straight games, allowed 13 goals in that span and is 2-13-0 in its past 15 games. They were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 in Colorado on Jan. 12. "It's kind of fresh in our minds," Pickard said. "We played them not too long ago, we know what to expect. They play a hard-fought game, they throw a lot of pucks to the net and they get a lot of traffic there. They have some really good skill up front and we play them well. It's going to be a good test for us and a good measuring stick to see how we are going to do."
