When the Avalanche Tuesday morning returned to ice from the three-day NHL shutdown, goaltender Semyon Varlamov remained sidelined in the wake of his latest bout with groin muscle issues. Calvin Pickard will get the start against the Calgary Flames at the Pepsi Center, and Jeremy Smith — recalled from the San Antonio Rampage — will be his backup.
After the morning skate, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Varlamov “is being re-evaluated by our doctors tonight. He’s still out. We’re hoping that’s going to be short-term, but we’ll know a little more after tonight.