"It's fun to have a lot of ice time": Sam Girard evolving into "The Guy" on Avs defense

Drenched in sweat, Samuel Girard looked exhausted after the Avs 3-2 overtime victory against the Arizona Coyotes. Having just played a team-high 23:52 in the win, would you blame him for being tired?

Watching him on the ice, it sure doesn’t look like he wears down at all.

“I think they have a lot of confidence in me and for all the defensemen,” Girard told DNVR  after the game. “It’s fun to have a lot of ice time.”

Fun is one way to put it.

Since being acquired back in 2017 as a 19-year-old, Girard has seemingly been on a nonstop upward trajectory with his development. Now, in his third year in the NHL, he’s become a mainstay on the Avs’ top defensive pairing and looks like the guy the coaching staff wants out there more than anyone else, leading the team with 20:05 a game of even-strength ice time so far. That would put him almost a full minute ahead of the next closest player Erik Johnson.

With more experience comes more confidence.

“I think the confidence is always higher a little bit after two years,” Girard said on Saturday night following Colorado’s 3-2 overtime win over Arizona. “[Erik Johnson] helps me a lot on the ice. He’s been in the league a long time and helps me a lot.”

After giving up two goals late in the third period, the Avs needed to lock it down to get the game into overtime. The staff wasn’t going to let Sam Girard get off the ice.

Despite several whistles and chances to get him off the ice for a fresh player, defensive coach Nolan Pratt kept Girard on the ice for the final 2:09 of regulation. Then, as the Avs started overtime, an area they struggled last year, the first defenseman on the ice for the team was Girard.

That tells you all you need to know about how the staff feels about his game right now, and head coach Jared Bednar said as much after the game.

“Good puck-mover,” Bednar said. “Generally consistent skating, puck-moving guy, defends the right way, always in the right position, limited mistakes on a nightly basis. He’s developed into a top pair guy, so that’s how we’re using him.”

And he’s still only 21.

GAME TAKEAWAYS

• After a tough start to the season on the penalty kill, the Avs have now gone two games without giving up a power play goal against (Thank you, offsides challenge).
• As the media entered the locker room, Gabriel Landeskog made it clear who he wanted to get the attention, pointing at Pavel Francouz and yelling “First NHL win right there”. That’s the Captain for you.
• Faceoffs still have not been good so far for the Avs, with newcomer Pierre-Edouard Bellemare struggling at only 40% through four games, but the other new guy, Nazem Kadri, has been a monster. He’s won 45 of the 70 face-offs he’s taken, putting him at 64.3%. The staff is now starting to use him in every situation, including penalty kill, just to take advantage of his skill there. They probably aren’t used to having someone so good at them.
• After the game, Jared Bednar said it’s clear Tyson Jost is better at center than wing and that he struggled the first two games. That would certainly lead you to believe that when J.T. Compher returns to the lineup, that Jost will stay at center. The second and third lines have been in a constant state of flux through the first four games, so Compher may be the next guy to get a chance on Kadri’s wing.
• You can certainly argue the validity of some of the penalties he’s taken, but four minor penalties in four games from Nikita Zadorov isn’t good. They need him to stay out of the box. You can live with the physical penalties, but the hooking and holding stuff needs to be limited.