BUFFALO, N.Y. — Fresh off its first loss of the season, the Avalanche will turn to undefeated goalie Semyon Varlamov in Thursday’s game against the Sabres at KeyBank Center.
Varlamov (2-0) will step in for newcomer Philipp Grubauer (0-1), who stopped 30-of-34 shots in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at Columbus. The switch is somewhat surprising, based on what coach Jared Bednar said about Grubauer after Tuesday’s game and what the coach previously said would be an even-and-open competition to become the clear-cut No. 1 guy.
“I thought he was great. I got to be honest with you, we hung him out to dry on a number of those goals,” Bednar said of Grubauer, who was acquired in a June trade with the Washington Capitals.