Goaltending was a major problem for the Colorado Avalanche last year and an area of major change in the off-season. Signed to backup Semyon Varlamov, free agent pickup Jean-Sebastien Giguere is getting "Jiggy" between the pipes.

Last season, an Achilles heel for the Colorado Avalanche was its last line of defense.

To rectify their shaky goaltending situation, the Avs sent first- and second-round draft picks to Washington for netminder Semyon Varlamov. They also signed free-agent veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere to a two-year deal to be the backup and provide experience for the young Varlamov.

Somebody apparently forgot to tell the 34-year-old Giguere this is 2011-12, not five or more seasons ago when “Jiggy” was one of the elite between the pipes.

Named the league’s third star of the week just after Christmas, Giguere is 9-5-0 in 16 starts with a .927 save percentage and a 1.96 goals-against average. In 26 games, Varlamov is 12-13-1 with a 3.05 goals-against average and .897 save percentage.

“The situation was perfect for me here. I knew that I wasn’t going to get a No. 1 job somewhere, so the next best-case scenario was to (come here) where I can help him out and push him, too,” Giguere said last week. “I think it becomes a competition, per se, to get some ice time, but at the same time that’s how you make yourself better. A young guy pushes me because I’ve got to keep up with him, too, every day. If I want to play in this league I’ve got to keep up with a 22-, 23-year old.”

After sports hernia surgery in the offseason, Giguere – who is 5-1 in his last six starts – admits that doubt about his ability had crept into his mind as he reaches the twilight of his career.

“I had a great summer of preparation, which was a key to this season. My body feels like it hasn’t felt in years. I still have the desire to win and the desire to play. Being a backup right now gives me the chance to be rested when I play and take care of my body,” Giguere said. “I think I’ve been trying to give the team a chance to win every time I play. I’m just hoping that it’s going to keep going until the end of the year that way.”

Giguere was in classic form Saturday in a New Year’s Eve return to Anaheim, stopping 18 of 20 shots to get the win. He received a standing ovation from the Ducks crowd during a TV timeout.

"I was pretty touched," said Giguere, who led the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup and the finals in 2003. "I wasn't necessarily expecting a bad reaction, but I'm glad people reacted that way. Obviously, I consider this place my second home – my kids were born here, so it means a lot to me when I come back here."

Now, he’s a time zone away and a key cog in a team whose season has had ups and downs nearly as big as a mountain. Lately those have been positives as Colorado has won eight of nine.

“He’s a big part of our team,” said defenseman Kyle Quincey.

Giguere readily admits his season’s success is not a one-man doing.

“I think we’ve, as a team, been turning things around here. I think we’ve been playing really well defensively which always helps the goalie. It makes my job much easier when I play. At the end of the day, when you have success, it always comes down to a team effort and that’s what’s been the big key here so far for my season this year.”

Notes

Entering Tuesday’s game, Calgary’s Jarome Iginla needed one goal for 500 in his career. … Coach Brent Sutter’s next win will be his 100th guiding the Flames. … C Olli Jokinen played his 1,000th career game Sunday. … Strange statistic from Calgary’s 5-3 loss in Nashville on New Year’s Day: D Jay Bouwmeester was minus-5, on the ice for all five Predators goals. Meanwhile, D Cory Sarich was plus-3, on the ice for all the goals scored by the Flames. … Calgary D Derek Smith suffered an ankle injury in the Dec. 29 game on Long Island and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks. … The Avalanche improved to 7-0 in shootouts with a win in Los Angeles on Monday. … Colorado C Matt Duchene, the team’s leading scorer, is expected to miss four weeks with an injured left knee. … Avalanche winger Chuck Kobasew scored his 100th career goal last Friday. …  Avs winger David Jones returned Saturday after missing almost three weeks with a groin injury. … Monday’s 4-3 win in Chicago was Edmonton’s first victory four games into a seven-game road trip. It was just the second time in nine games overall that Edmonton scored at least four goals. … C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins left Monday’s game with an upper-body injury. "He's not going to play for the next couple of games, could be longer,” coach Tom Renney said Tuesday. … Edmonton recalled LW Teemu Hartikainen from AHL Oklahoma City on Monday, and assigned C Lennart Petrell to the Barons. … Edmonton and Minnesota have already completed their six division games with one another. The Wild won four of the games. … Minnesota is 1-6-3 in its past 10 games. … The Wild play seven of its 10 January games on the road. … Minnesota RW Pierre-Marc Bouchard has four goals in his last six games. … Wild RW Jarod Palmer (upper body) was placed on injured reserve and missed his first game Saturday against Phoenix. He'll miss at least a week. … Canucks C Henrik Sedin was named the league’s third star of the month for December. He only scored twice but added 20 assists. … Vancouver LW Chris Higgins returned to the lineup Monday after missing a three-game road trip with a mysterious hand infection. … LW David Booth (knee) optimistically hopes to return by Monday when the Canucks visit Florida, his former team. … Canucks’ D Kevin Bieksa has a seven-game point streak. … A Stanley Cup Finals rematch is scheduled for Saturday when the Canucks visit Boston.

Photos by Getty Images

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