The Avalanche have struggled to maintain a full 60 minutes in each of their last four games, prompting head coach Jared Bednar to make adjustments to his lineup.
In the overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, Bednar moved Ross Colton to the second line alongside Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin. This change resulted in a goal from Nelson with an assist from Colton.
As adjustments are a natural part of the game, Bednar’s decision to move his forwards around is about chemistry.
“They’re getting quality chances on a nightly basis. As Gabe’s (Landeskog) game comes a little bit, it’s going to help. Val (Nichushkin) had a slow start to the season, and now he’s come around. Just getting all those guys firing on all cylinders and getting them back together.
“They’ll be apart and together many times throughout the course of the year, depending on how they’re playing and how the other guys are playing,” Bednar said.
Although Landeskog is working to improve his own game, he is confident in his team’s ability to manage frustrations through the ups and downs.
“There’s been some heartbreaking overtime losses, those always sting, but I think we found a really good way of moving past them and understanding what is working for us and what needs to be better,” the Avs captain said. ” That’s not going to change the way we evaluate games or prepare going into games. We’ve done a good job of that, and we’ll continue doing that. As a team, we know it’s just a matter of time before we break through completely. Obviously, we need power play and special teams to be better, and they will be. I firmly believe that.”
Colorado has come back down a goal or three to earn a point in four overtime or shootout losses, and is focused on improving its performance.
“We’re leaving points on the table more so than snagging points when we shouldn’t. It’s about leaving some on there that we feel that we earned and should have gone away with,” Devon Toews said. “It’s 10 games … and there’s a lot of games ahead, but we got to have better segments coming up.”
The Avalanche are two points behind the Utah Mammoth in the Western Conference after the first 10 games of the season. Key players are out due to injury, and changes will continue as the team is a work in progress.
“We’re here to win, and we’re coming so close, and we’re playing pretty good hockey too,” Sam Malinski said. “It’s hard, but we stick with the process, and the wins will come.”
Sam Girard remains out week-to-week, and Logan O’Connor is expected back in the first half of November. Mackenzie Blackwood will be in the lineup for the first time this season against the Devils on Tuesday night, albeit in the backup position.
The ebbs and flows are part of the game, as Bednar says, but winning when it’s most crucial is what is important. There is still a lot left in this season and only one regulation loss in the first 10 games isn’t a bad start.