The Colorado Avalanche played the Dallas Stars and look to crawl within two points of first place in the Central Division.
They have done this all without the help of one star or another throughout the season. The latest loss to injury was Josh Manson after tweaking his old injury in the last game. Mason was only back for six games after being out for over thirty games. Valeri Nichushkin was out due to an illness after missing several stints due to injury.
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First Period
Colorado started the game flat, not being able to get the puck out of their own zone. Dallas came into the contest very physically and would not allow the Avalanche to set any plays up at all. Delayed penalties and the inability to clear the zone by the Avalanche would break open the scoring for the Stars in the first. Jason Robertson would crash right through the slot and snap it over the shoulder of goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. And for those who say face-off wins don’t matter, the next goal is exactly how Dallas did it. Jamie Benn won the face-off to get it back to Miro Heiskanen at the point and snap it in from the blue line. Samuel Girard would get the only goal for the Avalanche in the first, but it wouldn’t be too long before Joe Pavelski would essentially erase their goal.
Second Period
The Stars continued their aggressive play into the second period with a goal by Mason Marchment only about five minutes into the period. Not more than halfway through the period Dallas would strike once more with a fourth-line Radek Faksa goal. For the second time this year, coach Jared Bednar decided to pull the goalie. Keith Kinkaid, who was acquired in a deal to trade Shane Bowers away, came in to at least slow the bleeding.
Third Period
Not much would change in the game as the onslaught continued by the Stars. Wyatt Johnston stole the puck right off of Denis Malgin’ stick and chipped it in for an easy goal to take a 6-1 lead over the Avalanche. Girard tried to fight back with a shot on goal that Andrew Cogliano read perfectly and set up for the rebound. After a power play that was set up by a fight between Benn and Logan O’Connor, Evan Rodrigues sent a slap shot to the back of the net to snap an 11-game scoreless streak. The Dallas Stars would top it off with an empty net goal by Robertson to make it 7-3.
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Conclusion
The Avalanche were not there for the physical game tonight. They were outhit by the Stars 23-19 and pushed around at will by Dallas. It looked as if Colorado was missing their big defenseman in Josh Manson? He has only played twenty-seven games this season, but his absence was noticeable. In the seven games that he played since he returned, he has had 18 hits. He brings a physical force to the Avalanche. Nichushkin will bring a will that just won’t quit. He never stops on the forecheck and he will barrel down the wing toward the net to get a goal. Colorado missed both of these today and hopefully, they will get at least Nichushkin back soon.
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Rodrigues and Newhook are both 3rd liners who can play in the top 6 when necessary, but are still 3rd liners. Everyone else, as you say, is really more 4th liners. Eller is a 4C, not a 3C. When the team needed a 3rd line scorer, the Avs got another Sedlak/Hunt type.
The team needs to find the right line combinations and stick to them. It is hard when someone continues to be missing, either for illness or injury. I suggest the following:
Lehkonen-MacKinnon-Rodrigues
Nichushkin-Compher-Rantanen
Cogliano-Newhook-Malgin
Nieto-Eller-O’Connor
Rodrigues played great in January with 10 points on the 1st line. Maybe he will get back to that. No one has seemed to work at the left wing on the 2nd line, maybe Nichushkin can be that guy.
Newhook played great in January with 7 points centering Cogliano and O’Connor. Pair him again with Cogliano, but I do not think Malgin should be on the 4th line, so switch him with O’Connor. Play Eller as the 4C and be a shutdown line, as he is not a scorer.
I think the Avs will miss Englund on defense. While he did not have a lot of experience, he did not play poorly and brought a big body to the team. With Manson out, the team does not have any depth defensemen, other than MacDermid or a call up from the Eagles.