Devils at Avalanche
The odds are stacked against the Colorado Avalanche in their pursuit of the final playoff slot in the Western Conference - and that's with a healthy Semyon Varlamov. The status of the Avalanche's starting goaltender is in question as they prepare to host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. Varlamov, who had a string of 22 consecutive starts halted Tuesday by a groin injury that forced him to miss Wednesday's practice, will test out the injury in Thursday's morning skate.
While Colorado sits seven points behind Winnipeg for the second wild card, New Jersey's long-shot hopes were pretty much dashed after losing two of its last three to drop 12 points behind Boston in the East. The Devils were steamrolled by Minnesota 6-2 on Tuesday to fall to 11-19-2 away from home. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello watched Tuesday's game from the press box and admitted: "It certainly isn't what I would have liked to have seen up there."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (28-29-10): Scott Gomez, signed by New Jersey on Dec. 1, scored his sixth goal Tuesday to give him 27 points - matching his total from the previous two seasons combined. Lamoriello told NJ.com that Gomez, who played his first seven seasons with the Devils, has probably secured a roster spot on some NHL club for next season. "I don't think there's a question about that," Lamoriello said. "He has something God gave him. He has tremendous hockey sense and knows how to put a pass on someone's stick. He knows how to find holes."
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (30-26-11): Because backup Reto Berra had not started since Nov. 25, Colorado coach Patrick Roy elected to go with Calvin Pickard on Tuesday, but the move backfired when the rookie gave up three goals on eight shots and he had to bring in Berra. Defenseman Tyson Barrie continued his hot streak with a goal Tuesday, giving him four tallies and 12 points over his last nine games. Captain Gabriel Landeskog had his goal-scoring streak halted at three games, but he has amassed nine tallies and 16 points over his last 13 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Landeskog is riding a four-game point streak.
2. Devils G Cory Schneider is 6-2-3 with a pair of shutouts against the Avalanche.
3. Colorado has won six of the last seven meetings while limiting New Jersey to eight goals.