Here’s hoping Jared Bednar is pulling the right levers for the Avs
Dec 31, 2019, 7:10 AM
Jared Bednar is pulling on the levers, and for the sake of the team’s season, his Colorado Avalanche squad better respond.
After a disappointing run that saw the Avs drop three consecutive games in regulation at home and go 4-2-1 since mid-December, the head coach is shaking things up a bit.
Joining captain Gabe Landeskog and all-star Nathan MacKinnon on the first line in practice on Monday was Joonas Donskoi, breaking up the “MGM” line by moving Mikko Rantanen to the second line. Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky also landed on the first power-play unit, as Landeskog and Nazem Kadri move down to the second unit.
“We expect a lot. We have high expectations for all of our lines,” Bednar told the media Monday. “If they’re not producing at a certain clip, at least in the form of creating scoring chances or doing a good enough job on the defensive side of it, then we have options to move things around.
“I want to be patient, but I don’t want to be too patient.”
Indeed, with the offseason additions of Burakovsky, Donskoi and Kadri, Colorado has the depth to weather such a slump.
But, as Bednar said, patience only goes so far.
Of the Avs losses of the past seven games, three have come at home in regulation after giving up third-period leads. And against Central Division foes in that stretch, Colorado earned just three of a possible 10 points.
Before heading out on an East Coast swing to start off the new year, the Avs do have a chance to make up some ground in the division, as they host the Central-leading St. Louis Blues on New Year’s Eve and the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 2.
Here’s hoping Bednar’s pulling the right levers.