Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy said earlier in the week that he was leaning toward giving Calvin Pickard the start in net on Friday at Detroit for the second half of the team's back-to-back set. While Pickard very well could have played an outstanding game, Roy likely made the right decision when he put Semyon Varlamov back between the posts for a second consecutive night.
Varlamov made a season-high 43 saves through overtime and added three more in the shootout to lead the Avs to a 3-2 victory over the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.