DALLAS — It pays to have some muscle on the back end.
For the first time in a few weeks, Jared Bednar had the option to pick and choose which defensemen he wanted to dress. That's because both Josh Manson and Ryan Lindgren returned from injury and both made an immediate impact in Game 1, although they weren't without their warts.
Manson made a huge play on Devon Toews' third-period goal, hitting the defenseman on the backdoor. It ended up being a momentum-changing goal, as the Stars were really pushing at the time. His physicality was evident immediately, as he plastered Mikael Granlund multiple times on a single shift in the third period.
He'll have to clean up the penalties, but he was a difference maker in his first game in over a month. The Avalanche and the veteran defenseman made the conscious decision not to have him rush back to play in the regular season.
"I think it was a bit of a team decision, management decision, as well as my decision," Manson said after the game. "Just kind of what was the best course of action to make sure I was ready to go for Game 1."
While it was clear that Manson was going to be ready to play all week, Lindgren was a little bit more up in the air. His status became a bit more clear on Friday when he made it through an entire practice with the team.
Their coach was excited to get the duo back for Game 1.
"It's huge," Bednar said. "They're a tough team to contain on the defensive side and it's not just their size, it's the way they play. It's experienced guys that buy into the defending side of things."
Colton exits
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Ross Colton exited the game after one 15-second shift in the third period, spending the rest of the night in the locker room. Bednar said that he left the game with a lower-body injury and didn't have any further update on him.
Without Colton, the Avalanche moved Logan O'Connor up to the third line, who made a key play on Toews' backbreaking goal. If Colton can't go in Game 2, the question will be who the Avalanche choose to replace him. It could be their captain...
No Landeskog
The big question was Gabriel Landeskog's availability for his first NHL game in nearly three years. Morning skate gave the indication that was not going to be the case, which turned out to be true.
Sliding Landeskog into the third line for Game 2 would make a lot of sense, assuming he's ready to play. The other options to take Colton's spot (if needed) are Miles Wood and Jimmy Vesey.
Johnson gets the nod over Malinski
There was a mild surprise on the blueline, as Bednar elected to dress veteran Erik Johnson over Sam Malinski. The 26-year-old Malinski had dressed in most games this season but with a fully healthy blueline, tough decisions have to be made.
"Veteran guy that's excited to be back," Bednar said on his decision to dress the veteran over the younger player.
It would not come as a surprise if Malinski makes an appearance later in the series if the team needs a bit more offense. Johnson plays a very different game than Malinski but still managed to get involved offensively in Game 1.
