Avalanche coach Jared Bednar had the NHL All-Star break and the team’s designated bye week to reflect on its 3-7 slide in the last ten matches and float about the rest 32 regular-season games. Changes were expected and, so, the Avs will have a look Saturday night when they play their very first game.
Against the Vancouver Canucks at the Pepsi Center, top-line center Nathan MacKinnon won’t begin the game skating with fellow champions Gabe Landeskog along with Mikko Rantanen at even-strength. The all-stars — a The MGM Line — are still together on the play however MacKinnon will center Alex Kerfoot and Colin Wilson at even-strength, while Carl Soderberg centers a lineup with Landeskog and Rantanen.
Bednar consulted with MacKinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen before making the changes.
“We need to change things up,” MacKinnon stated. “We’ve gotten rancid. ”
J.T. Compher replaces Soderberg online with Matt Calvert along with Matt Nieto and rookie Sheldon Dries will skate between Sven Andrighetto along with Gabriel Bourque.
MacKinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen have united to make 47% of their Avalanche’s aims (79 of 169).
“The team hasn’t really had a whole lot of success here recently so that we re attempting something new,” Bednar stated of dividing up the team’s leading line. “Talked to those guys and they’re really open to it. We ’re attempting to place a few mixes together that gives us a tiny bit of thickness and determine if we could get a few of those top guys to drag a few of our other guys along, make us moving in the right direction and get some guys excited about playing with them. We ’ll give it a try. ”
Said MacKinnon: “Kerf and Willy are awesome players. I’ve performed well with Willy a lot. Kerf, I’ve never got to play with him he’s an excellent skater, a fantastic passer, fantastic eyesight. We could bring out the finest in each other. And of course, with Mikko, Gabe and Carl, those guys are all proven — elite gamers. I think it s excellent lines. ”
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Vancouver also had its bye week following the all-star break and hasn’t played since Jan. 23. The Canucks are connected with Colorado with 52 points however, the Avs are in the Western Conference playoff spot only because they’ve played one game.
Despite going 4-7-3 in December and 3-7 in January, the Avs are still in the playoff picture.
“We’re pretty confident,” MacKinnon stated. “All things consideredwe’re in an adequate place we still control our own destiny and — not as fantastic we ’ re in a playoff place. We play with all the teams we need to beat a good deal. It s definitely going to be a challenge but we. ”
Footnotes. Second-year ahead Tyson Jost remains the property of the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League however fulfilled with Avalanche medical employees Friday, Bednar said. Jost, with an injury, has played six games with the Eagles. … Defenseman Mark Barberio skated in a reddish non-contact jersey Friday and stays on the list.
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