Eurolanche

Pickard to start for Avs against Sharks

Season series: The Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks have each won a road game. Forward Joe Pavelski had the go-ahead goal with 1:39 remaining and defenseman Brent Burns scored twice, including a shorthanded goal, when the Sharks won 4-3 in Colorado on Nov. 1. Forward Nathan MacKinnon's hat trick led the Avalanche to a 6-3 win in San Jose on Dec. 28. Forward Carl Soderberg also had a three-point game (one goal, two assists).

Avalanche (26-21-3) team scope: Forward Jack Skille wasn't part of an optional skate Monday, but coach Patrick Roy said he should play as long as he handles the pregame skate; Skille was the recipient of a hard hit into the boards late in a 3-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Goalie Calvin Pickard will start and give Semyon Varlamov a rest. Varlamov, who made 42 saves in Dallas, was named Monday as the NHL's first star for the past week. He has won four straight, allowing one goal in each game. "I'm very pleased with the last few games we played," Roy told the Avalanche website. "We just want to continue to play the good hockey we've been playing so far." Goalie Reto Berra, who hasn't played since Dec. 9 because of an ankle injury, is skating.

Sharks (25-18-4) team scope: This is the third game in four days and fourth in six for San Jose heading into the All-Star break. The Sharks are 4-0-2 in their past six games at SAP Center after winning five of their first 17 this season on home ice. They were 12.2 seconds away from a three-game winning streak before the Los Angeles Kings rallied for a 3-2 overtime win Sunday, dropping the Sharks nine points back in the Pacific Division. "We like how we’re playing," coach Peter DeBoer told CSN Bay Area. "We're going to chase them right to the buzzer." Pavelski has goals in two straight and five points in his past three games. Center Joe Thornton has two goals and 10 assists during a nine-game point streak.

-- by Brian Hunter for NHL.com --