Eurolanche

Varlamov to lead Avs against Blackhawks

Season series: The Chicago Blackhawks earned wins in the first two games against the Colorado Avalanche, but each time they faced rookie goalie Calvin Pickard at Pepsi Center. In the third game, Semyon Varlamov continued to baffle the Blackhawks. He led the Avalanche to victory in with a 54-save shutout at United Center.

Avalanche team scope: The Avalanche practiced in Colorado on Thursday before flying to Chicago. It appears coach Patrick Roy will be going with the same lineup he used in the loss to the Kings on Wednesday, which means Varlamov will make his 15th start in a row and 22nd in Colorado's past 24 games. Colorado is 4-6-0 in its previous 10 games, has six players on injured reserve and is quickly watching its hopes of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs diminish with 24 games remaining. After losing for the first time in three games on Wednesday, the Avalanche trailed the defending champion Los Angeles Kings by seven points for the second wild card in the Western Conference, with three teams between them.

Blackhawks team scope: Marian Hossa and rookie Ryan Hartman missed practice Thursday. Coach Joel Quenneville said Hossa was just resting and Hartman, who has a minor lower-body injury, could play. Chicago has points in seven straight games, but is 2-0-3 on its eight-game homestand and still trails the St. Louis Blues by three points for second place in the Central Division. The Blackhawks did exactly what they wanted to start a 3-2 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, outshooting Detroit 17-8 in the first period, but failed to capitalize by scoring the game's first goal. They've managed to score big goals late in regulation in four of the past five games, but would rather not put themselves in those positions so much.

-- by Brian Hedger for NHL.com --