Having only allowed one goal in his first two preseason games, Avs goaltender Semyon Varlamov is back to his ways of carrying the Avalanche on his shoulder through victories.
“He made the saves he needed to make for us,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said, crediting Varlamov for the win over the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night. “When they were pouring it on, especially at the end of the first, he keeps it a 0-0 game, which allows us to come out in the second and get a lead.”
Having stopped 63 of 64 shots faced in his last two starts, many, including Bednar and Varlamov, attribute the 28-year-old goalie’s strong preseason to the new defensive structure brought by the first-year NHL coach, although it hasn’t been perfect so far.