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Goalie nods: Varlamov aims to rebound after eight-goal night

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All the latest from the blue paint…

Semyon Varlamov gets shot at redemption

Varlamov has exceeded expectations this season, but he allowed eight goals on 28 shots against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Jean-Sebastien Giguere played between the pipes Friday night and helped the Avalanche shake off that ugly defeat. Now it’s Varlamov’s turn to do the same.

He’ll play against the Vancouver Canucks and while nothing has been confirmed, Roberto Luongo will probably get his third straight start.

Antti Niemi back between the pipes

Niemi got a game off after the Pittsburgh Penguins chased him out of the net on Thursday. The Sharks netminder stopped just 23 of 27 shots through 40 minutes in what was ultimately a 5-1 loss for San Jose.

He got off to a hot start this season, but has a 2.87 GAA and .909 save percentage since the start of November. He’ll try to bounce back against Minnesota.

The Wild will counter with Josh Harding. He’s been one of the league’s most pleasant surprises this season with a 1.52 GAA and .935 save percentage in 23 games.

Elsewhere...

Bruins at Maple Leafs: Jonathan Bernier is expected to start after James Reimer turned aside 47 of 50 shots in regulation time in a 4-3 shootout victory. It remains to be seen if the Bruins will start Tuukka Rask on back-to-back nights.

Capitals at Rangers: Braden Holtby will probably play for Washington while Henrik Lundqvist has been confirmed for New York.

Panthers at Blackhawks: After his strong performance led to a rare win last night, Florida might risk starting Tim Thomas again. Chicago is expected to counter with Corey Crawford.

Follow @RyanDadoun