The Colorado Avalanche have to shake things up after a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday night. Head coach Jared Bednar did just that in an intense, long practice on Saturday.
Bednar moved around the top two lines to find chemistry with different combinations, which Mikko Rantanen said is easy with top forwards back in the lineup.
“We can all switch the lines. Obviously, Nathan (MacKinnon), Casey (Mittelstadt) are the centers, but like wingers, we can mix and match depending, every game is different, and see how it goes,” Rantanen said. “Inside the game, we can switch them whatever direction you want to. It just gives us a little bit more — with injuries, it’s one line and then there’s guys coming up, but now it’s everybody’s in the right spot. So gives us a little bit more options in the offense, which is good.”
Jonathan Drouin was moved up to the top line in Friday night’s game. Rantanen played some shifts with him and then shifted to the second line with Mittelstadt and Valeri Nichushkin. Bednar kept those lines together in Saturday’s practice and said he may go with them and see how it plays out.
“Mikko has the ability to help drive the line offensively. We’ve got some good supporting wingers that we can put with Nate that help him as well,” Bednar said. “He’s had real good chemistry with Drew (Drouin), and if it works, we’ll try to leave it together for a little bit.”
Colorado’s coach said Drouin showed a spark in the game which is why he moved him up with MacKinnon. The 29-year-old left wing said he plays wherever his coach puts him but his history with MacKinnon is a factor for the pair’s chemistry.
“As the game went on, I felt more comfortable. It’s just short shifts in the first you’re trying to get (inaudible), you’re trying to get touches and trying to get back into the rhythm of the game,” Drouin said. “As the game went on, I felt more comfortable and had a couple shifts with Nate and Mikko.”
The Avalanche have carried eight defensemen and Bednar said at the start of the season he would shift blueliners around depending on strengths against the team’s matchups. He has the same philosophy with his offense as he has moved all four lines around as players have come in and out of the lineup.
Right now, with almost everyone healthy (minus Ross Colton with a broken foot and Gabriel Landeskog recovering from knee surgery), Bednar is looking for solid lines and chemistry to win games. It may be with Drouin — MacKinnon — Lehkonen on the top and Nichushkin — Mittelstadt — Rantanen on the second … to be determined.
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