Sam Malinski was finally rewarded for his efforts with his first goal of the season on Saturday in the 6-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The young defenseman has had several scoring chances and three assists to boot but no goals until Game 15.
“I think I was about ready to score one. Feel like I had my fair share of chances in the first 14 games. So yeah, it was good to get one under my belt,” Malinski said. “It feels great, obviously, like it was maybe a little frustrating at times when I wasn’t being able to score, and I felt like I was getting chances and whatnot. So, yeah, it’s definitely relieving,”
The Lakeville, Minnesota native earned 10 points in 23 games he played for the Avs last season. His average time on ice was 14:14 with a total of 31 shots on goal. He said before the season started that he changed his conditioning over the summer and bulked up in size a bit. He has stepped up his game the last few and head coach Jared Bednar has taken notice.
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“I thought he (Malinski) was great. That was a heck of a play, too. He pushes it up the ice and follows it up. And in Winnipeg, he was really good too,” Bednar said after the victory over the Canes. “He was a guy that helped turn the momentum around. I thought, for us in Winnipeg, staying up on his coverage in the neutral zone and knocking pucks down and transitioning us — it was a strength of his game there, and I thought he did a nice job of it again tonight, and that goal is a prime example.”
Malinski earned a starting spot on the Avs’ defense and has played with a few different partners through 15 games. His average TOI has increased to 15:46 and he has tallied 19 SOG. He has had to adjust to different D-partners as Bednar has swapped out defensemen depending on the matchup.
“When we’re all playing together and we’re all playing as a team, I think that’s when we’re our best,” Malinski said.
The lineup will alter as injured players return (Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton, Miles Wood, Gabriel Landeskog) and Valeri Nichushkin returns from suspension. However, the team is excited about the changes and plans on smooth transitioning to keep the momentum going.
“It’s obviously great to have those guys back, and they’ve been around this organization for so long that they’re able to jump in without skipping a beat and not disrupting the culture or anything of the group. We’re definitely looking forward to having Val back,” Malinski said.