A star goaltender’s wrath can last for weeks, sometimes longer when a defenseman hangs him out to dry. The goalie might not speak to him but talks negatively about him to others.
It’s the elephant in the room.
Fortunately for the Avalanche, goalie Semyon Varlamov is not that kind of guy, and he proved it Tuesday night in Dallas immediately after defenseman Nate Guenin’s turnover directly led to the Stars’ 2-0 lead in the final minute of the second period.
Guenin’s delayed pass up ice was blocked by one forechecker, Ales Hemsky, and second forechecker Erik Cole received a touch pass from Hemsky and buried the puck behind Varlamov.
Video of the play might soon be available in coaching manuals across North America on how to forecheck and how not to attempt to pass through a forechecker’s legs.
Varlamov eliminated any speculation he was irate at his teammate when he approached Guenin on the bench as the team was in line and walking into the dressing room. Varlamov had comforting words for Guenin while patting him on the helmet with his goalie glove. The message was: Don’t worry about the turnover, but next time don’t screen me from the shot.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry, mistakes are going to happen. Don’t worry about it,’ but he still wants to see the puck,” Guenin said.
From his hands and knees, Guenin tried to cover up for his mistake by unsuccessfully trying to block Cole’s shot with his body.
“After the mistake, the guy is winding up for a slap shot and I was trying to block it,” Guenin said. “Varly said he’d rather see the puck.”
The Avs, who face the visiting Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, went on to beat the Stars 3-2 in an 11-round shootout. Long before the celebration began, Varlamov and others were rebuilding Guenin’s confidence.
“All the guys were good,” Guenin said. “Between periods they were all trying to pick me up. You’re going to make mistakes, and you never want it to be that bad. But when it happens you can feel bad for yourself or get back at it.”
By all accounts, Varlamov is a good teammate.
“He’s a great teammate,” forward Max Talbot said. “Look at games we lose, and he’s (upset), but he’s waiting (to greet) the guys. He’s definitely a team goalie, for sure. He’s a leader out there, maybe a quiet leader, but every day, every night, he’s a good teammate.”
Avs coach Patrick Roy says his team is united, which is why a run to the playoffs is possible.
“Not just Varly, all the players on the team (were supportive) of Nate,” Roy said. “Nate works so hard, blocking shots and playing important minutes with Tyson Barrie … tougher for him because he’s a defensive defenseman and doesn’t have the opportunity to go and get a big goal for us. But his teammates did it for him.”
The next time Guenin makes an unsightly defensive-end turnover, he’ll let Varlamov see the puck. But he’ll still try to block it — prone to the ice so Varlamov can see more of the shooter.
“The guy is winding up from the hash marks,” Guenin said, “so I don’t want to stand out of the way and say, ‘Here you go, Varly.’ Next time I’d probably lay down, so if anything comes over me he’s going to see it.”
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or
DETROIT AT COLORADO
7 p.m. Thursday, NBCSN; 950 AM
Spotlight on Petr Mrazek: Detroit’s rookie goalie is 6-2 in replacing Jimmy Howard and is scheduled to start for the ninth consecutive game Thursday. Mrazek, 22, is from the Czech Republic but began a three-year stint for the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League in 2009 and is well known in North American goalie circles. He was the 13th goalie picked in the 2010 draft, behind Colorado selections Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio, and then-University of Denver standout Sam Brittain.
NOTEBOOK
Red Wings: Howard skated with the team Wednesday for the first time since suffering a torn groin muscle Jan. 10. Howard hopes to return to the lineup late next week. … Detroit has won seven of its past eight games. … The Red Wings have an NHL-leading 25.6 percent power play success rate, and are 11th in penalty killing (82.7 percent). … Detroit went 9-3 in January and is in the middle of a stretch that has it playing 17 of 23 games on the road. The Wings are 12-8-3 outside Detroit.
Avalanche: Only forward Dennis Everberg, defenseman Stefan Elliott and goalie Reto Berra skated Wednesday. The rest of the team had off-ice workouts. … Semyon Varlamov will start in goal, and no lineup changes are planned, leaving Elliott as the only healthy scratch. … The Avs have failed to capitalize on their past 20 power plays but are 4-for-4 in their most recent 6-on-5 advantages with Varlamov on the bench for a sixth attacker.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
