It was not the first time Parker Kelly slotted in on a line with Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin. But the trio reunited on the second line for the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“He’s playing at a really high level right now. He provides a strong forecheck option for us there. It’s also another guy that likes to go to the net. He provides some of the same things as Landy (Gabriel Landeskog) …,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “For me, Parker still adds a lot to that line with his energy and his ability to play in o-zone play and get into the dirty areas of the ice.”
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Kelly played with Nelson and Nichushkin in the last game of the regular season on the top line, while Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog sat out to rest.
“Parker is pretty easy guy to read off of. Tenacious on the forecheck, plays a simple, effective game. He’s got a lot of poise too with the puck that probably doesn’t get enough credit. He’s making quite a few plays for us, and that shows in his production this year,” Nelson said. “For me as a center, it’s pretty easy then to kind of read off that, knowing what to expect. And try to be simple for him, an easy guy to read off. And interchangeable too. He’s played quite a bit of center over the last couple years, too. So if he ends up down low, he can fill in for me, which is nice. So I feel like it’s a pretty easy pair to work with.”
Why Nelson and Nichushkin work well together
While Bednar has experimented with different players on different lines, Nelson has been steadfast at the second-line center position. He has played a lot with Nichushkin throughout the season. The two complement each other as highly-skilled two-way forwards.
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“He’s just so well-rounded. I think he does a little bit of everything — size, speed, skill, tenacious on the forecheck. He’s physical. He’s responsible defensively,” Nelson said. “He’s obviously one of the better PKers, so we go out there a lot together. Easy guy to read off and support him. He’s just a guy that kind of impacts it. If he doesn’t get on the score, he still can make a pretty big impact on the game and the team and provide a spark, even for our line.”
The Avalanche are favored to make a deep playoff run as Stanley Cup contenders. The roster has depth, which sets up Bednar to move players in and out of the lineup and around it. But if this second-line combination produces results, he likely will not change it.
