Erik Johnson‘s return to Denver has almost overshadowed that this is a very important game for the Colorado Avalanche.
A loss, and the team will have let an extended homestand go to waste with a record under .500. A win, and you feel a little bit better about where this team is at. So yes, tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres is important.
And the Avalanche won’t be turning to their starting goaltender to help them win it.
Ivan Prosvetov, not Alexandar Georgiev, will be in net on Wednesday night for Colorado.
Why? Because he earned it.
“Came in the other night and played great,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I thought he gave us a really good chance to come back in that hockey game, so we just thought we’ll go with him again.”
That makes it two of the last three games that Prosvetov has started. With a back-to-back coming up this weekend, there’s a good chance he’ll play again before the week is up. Prosvetov might have a real chance to go on a little bit of a run with some strong play.
Does that mean the team thinks Georgiev is stuck in a rut right now?
“I don’t know about a rut,” Bednar said. “We set our schedule. Obviously, we got a lot of games. Prosy was scheduled to play this week, but you also got to be flexible. Again, last game, does a great job, and if he can continue to do that, might as well go back to him.”
The guys in front of him are also impressed with what they’ve seen from the 24 year old Russian netminder.
“He’s been playing awesome since he’s gotten here,” Bowen Byram told me. “I don’t know how many games he’s played, but he’s always kept us in it. Made big saves when he has to, so it’s been a great pickup.”
I’m sure you’ve all seen an interview with Prosvetov by now. He’s a character. Whether it’s cracking jokes about playing Xbox after practice, or talking about how he snacks in between periods, he’s been a fun guy to talk to.
“Awesome guy,” Byram said. “Very lively. Loves to chat and have fun.”
If he plays well and earns more starts, we’ll be chatting with him a lot more often.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!