Taking a break had several advantages for the Colorado Avalanche. Players not participating in the Olympics have returned to the ice — some with a different perspective.

“The recovery aspect of it is big. Just reset everything. Give you a little bit of time off, mentally, as much as physically, to get rejuvenated,” Jack Drury said. “Physically, I think a couple things. When you spend a few days off the ice, sometimes you can feel some technique changes you’ve had, and get them back to baseline. So that’s definitely helpful.”

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Drury enjoyed the hiatus with family and friends in Chicago, where he grew up. A few of the players enjoyed vacations to Hawaii, Mexico and even the Middle East. But break time is over, and now they are focused on getting back into the NHL season.

“We still have like a week and a half until the next game. Even if guys’ minds aren’t in it right this second, I feel like we’re going to have enough time,” Ross Colton said. “We’re going to hit practice pretty hard here with only, I think there’s like 10 of us, really when the whole team is basically in the Olympics. Practice should be interesting this next week or so. I’m sure we’ll reset. Bedsy (Jared Bednar) will have a good plan for us and then ready for next week.”

Improving the power play is a main focus for the Avalanche. Most of the power-play members are participating in the Olympics, but head coach Jared Bednar hopes the break will help reset the special teams for a fresh start.

“Time away, going through some numbers, talking with the analytics department, talking within coaches. Pratter (Nolan Pratt) has even watched a bunch of power play from a penalty kills perspective and sharing ideas,” Bednar said. “Hopefully the guys come back after the break and are able to restart the year there.”

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Parker Kelly did not need a new outlook on his game, as he is having a career year with 21 points in 55 games. His concern was picking up the momentum where he left off.

“I think this has been my most consistent year, so far. Coming in every day, doing a good job, even whether I’m on the scoresheet or not …,” Kelly said. “It’s nice to feel good about yourself, your own individual game going into the break. Now the hard part is you get too much time on your hands, you start thinking, ‘are you going to be able to bring it again when the time comes?’ Now that you’re back at the rink, you start getting a little anxious. You want to jump back right to where you were. Time will tell, but a few good days of practice here and keep having fun and doing it all right.”

The Avalanche are No. 1 in the league with 83 points, but struggled the month before the break. For those with the time off, it was much-needed rest and recovery from fatigue and ailments. It’s almost time to get back to it, and they plan to be ready to stay on top.