Defenseman
Ian Cole will play Friday when the Avalanche face San Jose to open a two-game road trip through California.
The
GAME NOTES
Cole, who has missed 11 games with a broken left orbital bone, will replace rookie
Ryan Graves.
Cole, who was injured Feb. 7 in a fight with Washington’s
Tom Wilson, has been skating for a week while wearing a full face shield and took part in a full practice Thursday.
Semyon Varlamov will start for the 12th time in 13 games. He’s 4-0-1 in his past five starts, 18-15-9 overall with two shutouts, a 2.80 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.
The Avalanche are 5-0-1 in the past six games, 6-1-1 in eight and have at least one point in 10 of the past 12 games (6-2-4).
The wild card race in the Western Conference changes on a daily basis, depending on results and which teams are idle.
The Avalanche are tied in points (68) with Minnesota, but the Wild have more regulation/overtime wins (30-27) and hold the second wild card. Dallas has one more point and has the first wild card.
Minnesota and Dallas are idle Friday, so the Avalanche would pass both with a win against the Sharks, who are second in the Pacific Division with 82 points, seven behind Calgary.
The Sharks are 19-5-5 at home and are opening a four-game homestand.
The Avalanche are 15-12-6 on the road and 3-0-3 in the past six away from the Pepsi Center.
The expected lineup:
Alexander Kerfoot -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Derick Brassard – Carl Soderberg -- J.T. Compher
Gabriel Landeskog -- Tyson Jost -- Matt Calvert
Sven Andrighetto -- Sheldon Dries -- Colin Wilson
Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson
Ian Cole -- Tyson Barrie
Patrik Nemeth -- Nikita Zadorov
Semyon Varlamov
Philipp Grubauer
*****
The Avalanche have signed forward
Nick Henry to a three-year, entry-level contract through the 2021-22 season.
Henry, 19, was a fourth-round pick (No. 94) in the 2017 NHL draft.
He has split this season between the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats and Lethbridge Hurricanes. He had 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 25 games for the Pats before being traded to Lethbridge, where he has 43 points (nine goals, 34 assists) in 37 games for the Hurricanes.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • 
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