DALLAS — The Avalanche again will stick with its recent defensive pairings Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars, meaning — among other things — that Stefan Elliott will be a healthy scratch for the second time since his recall from Lake Erie last week.
That also signifies coach Patrick Roy’s early satisfaction with the play of the Jan Hejda-Zach Redmond tandem since Redmond stepped in for Erik Johnson, who underwent an arthroscopic knee procedure on Jan. 26.
By putting Redmond, who previously was a healthy scratch for 11 consecutive games, there, Roy was able to leave his other two pairs — Brad Stuart-Nick Holden and Nate Guenin-Tyson Barrie — intact.
“It was tough to change our pairings, especially with the way Barrie and Guenin are playing together so well,” Roy said after the Avalanche morning skate in the American Airlines Center. “And the same thing with Stuart and Holden, they play so well together.
“I think we have a lot of confidence in Zach, and Jan has so much experience in the league. I think it was just a good fit. We wanted to give a shot at it, at least before saying it’s not going to work. They played so well in those two games … they were really, really solid and I think they deserve to continue like that.”
Hejda said he had been aware that Johnson, who often sat out practice recently, was hurting physically, even before the decision was made to do the minor surgery. Johnson underwent major surgery on the same knee and missed the 2008-09 season with St. Louis.
“He was kind of up and down physically,” Hejda said. “He would feel good for a few games and then he would feel bad for a few games. … I was able to see and feel when he was in pain and when he was not. I talked to him a little bit about it, too, and he was trying really hard to extend his playing before surgery but the last few games I had the feeling that he needed to do something, and I think at the all-star break was a good time to do that.
“I feel bad for him because he didn’t end up playing in the All-Star Game, but at the same time, we’re going to need him and I’m kind of glad he made this decision.”
Hejda said of playing with Redmond: “He had a lot of skill and he can move the puck very well, so I think we fit together. He’s also good defensively so I think this is a good fit. Our other pairings are working very well, so I was expecting I would play with Zach. There’s no reason to switch the other pairings because Tyson and Nate have been great for most of the season and Stewie and Holdie seem to be working very well together, too.”
Jarome Iginla, who didn’t practice Monday as a precaution because of a bruised leg, is ready to go against the Stars, as is linemate Alex Tanguay, who suffered a bruised hand in the Friday win over Nashville.
The Stars and Avalanche both go into the Tuesday game with 53 points, four out of the final Western Conference wild-card playoff spot.
Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said of the “playoffs already have started” mentality for teams on the fringe of the playoff race: “I’m afraid that already started six, seven weeks ago for us, and I’m pretty sure it’s started for them, too. When you get that far behind, it’s desperation.”
The Avalanche is 2-0 against the Stars this season, with both wins coming in Denver.
“It’s a skilled group of forwards and similar to us on the back end, maybe a little bit on the smaller side, but guys with good mobility that can create some offense,” Ruff said. “(Semyon) Varlamov has really been the key for them on the back end and was last year. We lost a tough one to them at their building (4-3 on Jan. 10) and we have to turn things around here against them.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or
