Gavin Brindley wasted no time diving right back into the action, picking up exactly where he left off before his injury. He posted two points in his return against the Florida Panthers — and head coach Jared Bednar “had a feeling” he would play well.
“He was fantastic from the drop of the puck and was earning lots of ice time tonight,” Bednar said. “Executing, competing hard, and just relentless and tenacious on the puck.”
READ MORE: Colorado Avalanche focused on details after challenging road trip
The 21-year-old Ft. Myers, Florida native missed 10 games due to a lower-body injury incurred vs the New York Rangers on Nov. 20. He learned a few things about his team while he was on the outside looking in.
“You see how good players are from afar. It’s pretty impressive, and they’ve helped me so much come in here and just be myself and be able to play my game,” Brindley said. “You learn a lot from watching the games from above. Different teams, different players, you see different plays develop. And yeah, at the end of the day, I do think it helps, but I think getting the reps on the ice is most important.”
Brindley had seven points before his injury, including two game-winning goals. He added another game-winner and an assist in the 6-2 victory over the Cats on Thursday night.
READ MORE: What makes Devon Toews unique to Avs’ winning formula
Bednar was confident in the rookie’s return. He started him on the third line with Ross Colton at center and Victor Olofsson on the left wing.
“The response is the biggest thing, and trying to get back to your game as quick as you can. Sometimes doesn’t come as fast as it did tonight, like producing like that, but still a lot of work to do, and lots to improve on and just keep going from here,” Brindley said.
Valeri Nichushkin moved up to the second line alongside Gabriel Landeskog and Brock Nelson. Jack Drury shifted to the fourth line with Joel Kiviranta and Parker Kelly.
Who impressed Bednar the most with the line changes? He laughed and said, “Brindley, you asked it,” reinforcing his praise for the young forward.
“With Colton moving to the middle, he had a really good night. It elevated Olofsson and elevated his game, and then when Marty (Necas) was with him, it looked really good,” Bednar said after an optional practice Friday. So we’re starting to experiment a little bit with the lines and we’re liking what we see.”
Bednar has difficult decisions to make about who to play where with the depth of healthy talent on his roster. Brindley is dedicated to making an impact no matter where he plays — as he demonstrated with a multi-point return on Thursday night.
