Varlamov started the game strong, making 17 saves in the first period and stayed sharp throughout the contest. He stopped 36-of-39 shots in the outing.
"He played outstanding for us tonight, especially in the first period. I thought they could have been up three or four, and he made some outstanding saves to keep us in the game," Comeau said of Varlamov. "Right until the end of the game, he made some big saves and gave us a chance. We just weren't able to pull it out tonight."
The Avalanche started the game slow and had a better second period than its first, but the team was not able to extend its strong play into the third.
"We just waded into the game. It lacked some intensity, and I think our guys got together in the room after the first and came out in the second and had a better period," said head coach Jared Bednar. "Put them under more pressure and played a decent period. The third, there is no excuse for the third. We played 14 minutes and had three shots on goal in a game we need to win at home. No excuse for that."
The Avalanche was outshot 40-26 and could not capitalize on its three power-play opportunities.
"We had 40 minutes where the urgency wasn't high enough. It might have been high enough for November -- it's not high enough for now," said Bednar. "We have to find a way to make sure that that gets elevated. We got to dial our game up just like everybody else is this time of year, and we haven't done that yet recently.
"That has to come from within our room. This time of year, that's what it takes to win. We should be getting more and more urgency out of our group now because we are starting to fall in the standings. If we want to stay in it, we are going to have to dial it up."