NHL

Varlamov may well get the chance to strut his stuff again in Vancouver Wednesday night, as Colorado Avlanche coach Joe Sacco is leaning toward starting him. Sacco had used veteran John-Sebastien Giguere the past three games. "I didn't play good the last two weeks, for sure," said Varlamov, acquired from Washington for the Avs' first- and second-round draft picks in 2012. "I didn't help the team win the last few games. It's been tough for me. Right now, my head is clear and I've had a break for the last six or seven days," he said. "I think right now I'm ready to go, ready to play well. Every year, I try to learn something new, pick up something new. I have to learn from this last thing." Varlamov has a 5-8-1 record with an .890 save percentage, a steep dropoff from the strong numbers he posted in the first two weeks of the season.