For the first time since Feb. 17, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had his two favored wingers on the flanks Monday in Day 1 of training camp to the NHL’s return-to-play, 24-team playoffs.

This can be actually the Avs’ perfect line in operating toward winning the Stanley Cup.

MacKinnon has skated with All-Stars Gabe Landeskog along with Mikko Rantanen in players-only captains skates during the past month. But Monday’s lineup was created by coach Jared Bednar, who missed a couple of key players that were injured — including MacKinnon and Rantanen — when the NHL suspended play March 12 due to the coronavirus.

Bednar was not able to put the “MGM Line” together far too frequently this year, due to accidents to those three players or other people, which compelled the coach.

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MacKinnon’s lineup engaged in the first of two on-ice sessions Monday. The other lines in the initial class were center Nazem Kadri with Andre Burakovsky and Valeri Nichushkin, and Tyson Jost together with T.J. Tynan and Vladislav Kamenev. The Kadri threesome is known as the Avs’ second lineup. Jost’s lineup consists of forwards beyond the top-12.

Two lines in the second group were what would be the Avs’ third and fourth traces: J.T. Compher together using Vladislav Namestnikov along with Joonas Donskoi, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare involving Matt Nieto along with Matt Calvert. The line in that category was Sheldon Dries using wingers Shane Bowers and Logan O’Connor.

The Avs are carrying four goalies along with 30 players. They had 15 players and two goalies participate in each session. The defensive pairings remain as they were when play was suspended in March: Ryan Graves and Cale Makar, Sam Girard and Erik Johnson, along with Ian Cole together with Nikita Zadorov. The pairings include Jacob MacDonald and Conor Timmins, Mark Barberio and Kevin Connaunton, also Bo Byram along with Anton Lindholm.

Colorado’s leading goalies — Philipp Grubauer along with Pavel Francouz — both engaged in the first session.

This story is going to be updated. 

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