Pregame Avs notes: Varlamov starts again, Kamenev coming

After consulting with his No. 1 goalie, Avs coach Jared Bednar was suitably convinced it would be OK to start Semyon Varlamov for Friday’s game with the Nashville Predators. So Varly it will be, a little more than 24 hours after he stopped 44 shots in St. Louis.

The Avs are obviously still in a major dogfight for a playoff spot, so starting unproven rookie Spencer Martin just was not a palatable enough option. But Varlamov, Bednar said, insisted on playing.

“When he says he wants the net, you have to give it to him,” Bednar told BSN Denver.

OTHER NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

• Rookie Vladislav Kamenev was slated to play his final game tonight with the San Antonio Rampage, then be recalled by the Avs Saturday. Assuming he stays healthy, he would then be available for Sunday’s game with the Detroit Red Wings, though Bednar said he hadn’t decided yet whether he would, in fact, play. In six games with the Rampage this season, Kamenev has eight points, all assists.
• Erik Johnson and Jonathan Bernier skated Friday, and while Bednar said both are “close” to a possible return, he also said there is no firm timetable. I know that’s contradictory in a sense, but I think it’s just a case of Bednar not wanting to be committed to some certain date. There was no further word on injured veterans Mark Barberio and Colin Wilson.