The Avalanche’s depth at defense is already paying off heading into Game 2 of the season. Defenseman Mark Barberio, a healthy scratch in Thursday’s 4-1 opening-night victory over the Minnesota Wild, will replace Patrik Nemeth on Saturday night when the Avs host the Philadelphia Flyers at the Pepsi Center.
Nemeth, who skipped practice Friday, has a minor upper-body injury, coach Jared Bednar said.
“With the healthy bodies we have, and ‘Barbs,’ the camp that he had, we’re confident putting him in and giving ‘Nemo’ the night off,” Bednar said after Saturday’s morning skate. “It’s nice to be able to have those guys (like Barberio) and we still got a couple more guys up the road (with AHL’s Colorado Eagles) that we like.