With the additions to the blue line the Avalanche made over the summer, it would be easy to overlook Sam Malinski.
No one is overlooking him now.
The 26-year-old defenseman went to training camp ready to compete, having bulked up over the summer. Anytime a player adds weight, good or bad, the concern is they may lose a bit of their speed. That hasn't been the case for Malinski.
Colorado has one preseason game remaining to determine its final roster, and, barring a huge surprise, Malinski will be there. Now the question is whether he’ll be in the lineup on opening night Wednesday at Las Vegas.
Given the way he’s performed throughout camp and in the preseason, it shouldn’t be a question.
“He’s been consistently good through the whole camp,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “He looks bigger and stronger and more physical in the battles, more confident because of that.”
The Lakeville, Minn., native has dressed in three of Colorado’s five preseason games and been a standout performer in all of them. He's scored a goal in each of his last two appearances, including an impressive end-to-end score early in the week against Utah.
It’s not only the offense that has stood out. The added muscle has been noticeable, as he’s been able to hold his own along the boards in the defensive zone in battles. He’s also shown a willingness to throw his body in front of pucks to keep them away from his goaltender. On a team blessed with the likes of Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Sam Girard to handle power-play responsibilities, Malinski’s improved play without the puck might be what keeps him in the lineup.
While Malinski has less NHL experience than the likes of Erik Brannstrom or Oliver Kylington, that won't be held against him when it comes time to choose who is in the lineup and who isn't.
“We’re not picking our team based on experience,” Bednar said. “We’re picking it based on performance.”
Game analysis and insights from The Gazette sports staff including columns by Woody Paige and Paul Klee.
First preseason victory
The Avalanche will not finish the preseason winless. Not that it matters.
On Thursday, Colorado sent a strong lineup to Vegas and skated away with a 3-1 victory over the Golden Knights. Jonathan Drouin, Malinski, and Logan O’Connor scored goals for the Avalanche, but it was the performance of Justus Annunen that must be the most encouraging.
The 24-year-old netminder bounced back after a sub-par performance in his last start to stop 21 of 22 shots, looking calm and composed the entire night.
Line juggling continues
Bednar is still trying to find the right line combinations to start the season and again experimented against the Golden Knights.
The 19-year-old Calum Ritchie got an opportunity to play with Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin on the top line and things started well. Ritchie made a nice play to spring MacKinnon, who eventually found Drouin for a goal. The rest of the game was more up and down for that trio, as Ritchie struggled at times to keep up with the pace of the two veterans.
The second line consisted of Ross Colton, Nikolai Kovalenko and Casey Mittelstadt, who made his preseason debut. They struggled in the second period, but saved their best for last, spending most of the third period in Vegas’ zone. Colton playing wing to start the season is a possibility while the team waits for Artturi Lehkonen to get healthy.
The Avalanche close out their preseason schedule at 5 p.m. Saturday against the Utah Hockey Club.
