Hammond, 30, made eight saves after replacing injured Jonathan Bernier to start the third period of a 3-2 loss at Pepsi Center in Game 4 on Wednesday.

DENVER -- Andrew Hammond will start in goal for the Colorado Avalanche against the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at Bridgestone Arena on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, TVAS, FS-TN, ALT).

[RELATED: Complete Predators vs. Avalanche series coverage]

Spencer Martin, 22, who has three games of NHL experience with the Avalanche during last season, will be the backup.

Bernier has a lower-body injury. Semyon Varlamov, the Avalanche's No. 1 goaltender is out at least through the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs because of a knee injury sustained March 30.

The Predators lead the best-of-7 series 3-1.

Hammond had two games of experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs prior to Game 4, going 0-2 with a 3.44 goals-against average and .914 save percentage with the Ottawa Senators against the Montreal Canadiens in 2015.

"I got to play in a difficult building in Montreal then, and it's something where going into Nashville, I know they have a great crowd behind them," Hammond said. "From that standpoint I have a little bit of experience with that and can draw on that as well. You need to trust your experience, trust the things you do in practice. You always want to play meaningful hockey. Tomorrow night, it doesn't get any more meaningful than that. From that standpoint it's very exciting to get the opportunity.

"For me to get my feet wet in the series was important, and overall it helps going into tomorrow night. As a fellow goalie you can kind of see the signs that (Bernier) was hurting in there, so you start getting ready. It wasn't something that caught me completely off guard."

Hammond was acquired from the Senators as part of a three-team trade with the Nashville Predators on Nov. 5, when center Matt Duchene was sent to the Senators and center Kyle Turris went to the Predators, and spent most of the season with Belleville and San Antonio in the American Hockey League.

He played one NHL game this season, making 31 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on March 28. Hammond's production and playing time has diminished since his first NHL season, with the Senators in 2014-15, when he went 20-1-2 in 24 games.

"It's a great opportunity for Hammond," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "He's been working hard since he's been here. He hasn't played a lot of hockey for us but he's jumped in some games and played really well.

"We've seen him catch lightning in a bottle before and win some hockey games. Hopefully he can do it again."

Bernier, 29, started the first four games of the playoffs, going 1-3 with a 3.87 GAA and .883 save percentage.

Bednar said Bernier's injury is an issue that has been bothering him for a while. He did not give a timeline for when Bernier could return.

The Avalanche lost defenseman Erik Johnson to a season-ending knee injury March 28, and defenseman Samuel Girard remains day to day because of an upper-body injury sustained in Game 1.

"We've had our fair share of injuries but we can't sit and cry about it," Bednar said. "It is what it is, we have to move on and go get a win tomorrow night."