Well, the Avalanche got through two games on the season with a fully healthy roster, at least.
A third straight game won’t happen, as defenseman Tyson Barrie will miss Tuesday’s game with the first-place Nashville Predators because of a lower-body injury. The Avs say he is day-to-day with the ailment, nothing long-term.
Mark Barberio will replace Barrie in the lineup. It remains to be seen who will play alongside Ian Cole (Barrie’s normal defensive partner). Barrie seemed to be hobbled a bit in the Avs’ last game, against Dallas. He seemed a step slower than usual.
In other personnel moves, Avs coach Jared Bednar said he will give forwards Vladislav Kamenev and Sheldon Dries the night off as healthy scratches, and replace them with Sven Andrighetto and Gabriel Bourque.
That’s a bit puzzling, as Kamenev and Dries have both contributed well of late, to a team that has won four in a row. Bourque has yet to score a goal on the season, while Andrighetto can’t seem to cement a place in the lineup, either because of injuries or because of inconsistent play.
To add my editorial opinion here: I don’t like the move of benching Kamenev at all. He gives the Avs not only good size against a big, strong Predators team, but he’s better defensively than either Andrighetto or Bourque and can win some faceoffs.
I get it, that Bednar doesn’t want guys growing stale on the sidelines. But do you really want to tinker that much with a lineup that has been scoring goals at a rapid pace of late, just to be a nice guy to players that haven’t played in a while?
Now, if Andrighetto and Bourque score goals and the Avs win tonight? Then “Bednar is a genius” will be our headline.
But I have a feeling this could be a long night for the Avs in Smashville.
0 Comments (17 conversations)
rockymtnaqua
Smashville Predators sounds like the most sexually dangerous team on the planet.
Also, I am pretty sure Bednar is incapable of human emotions like the joy of letting scrubs play their little scrubby hearts out. I am still with you that the Kamenev move is a head scratcher though…
Heckhole
Kam was busted playing Fortnite after curfew
jttthenutt
Maybe he wants to save them for the back to back?
NoMoreRats
I think Bednar pays greater attention than other coaches to past performance against a particular team. Andrighetto had a big goal the last time they were in Nashville and Bourque had 2 goals in the playoff series and played well. Having said all that I wish he’d play Kammy.
Chris DeMott
Smart take, you’re probably on to something here. But, at some point Gabriel Andre Cliche needs to take a back seat to the young guys.
AllezAllezAllez
The seemingly constant complaint about Bednar is he doesn’t give the young guys a shot and even when he does the rug gets pulled out from under them for almost no reason. Bourque is a grinder but Kamenev brings so much more to the game. The way Dries and Ghetto have been playing that feels like a wash.
Avsfan29
Hopefully it’s because of the b2b. Pitts might be the more winnable game, so play Bourque against Nashville and Kamenev against Pitts
xdikkx
If Tyson’s banged up, why not let him sit against a team that, even at full strength, it will be difficult to beat? Kamenev’s a bummer though.
Corleone74
Bourque is an offensive black hole. Really bad decision.
KCRybek
Let’s develop one of our top prospects by playing him 10 mins a night and then benching him
Rich
I prepare myself as this game might get ugly tonight?
World of Suck
Cheering them on in Nashville tonight! Go Avs!
Flashdurb
Always love your stuff AD, but I’m a bit puzzled how you find typical roster moves characteristic of back-to-backs so puzzling. You really reaching there to call Kamenev sitting out a “benching”.
Flashdurb
It’s *crucial* to remember that Kamanev has only played 20ish games in his NHL career lol and has looked like it for the most part. He has far from earned a “set and forget” spot in the everyday lineup at this young stage in his career.
Adrian Dater
AuthorTo me, “benching” isn’t as serious a connotation as you probably think it is. It’s probably an old-guy phrase of mine. I just mean “on the bench” not “benched!” if that makes sense. I don’t get the back-to-back logic though. So, Kamenev and Dries are so fragile they can’t play back-to-backs? I say play your best players at the moment and don’t overthink it.
osmodiarshazbot
Maybe it’s a distraction! Barrie, Kamenev and Dries for Nylander?
Fsmcnab
Is Kamenev ‘s dad on the dad’s trip? Maybe Bednar is playing this lineup for a smaller audience tonight.
osmodiarshazbot
Let’s throw Grubs at Nashville.. I feel like Varly gives up some giant rebounds and wide open shots against them..
RonG
Not sure any of us, including A.D.,can legitimately challenge a roster move such as sitting a player or two for a night. We certainly don’t have the info that the coaches do. Maybe one or both has a minor “tweak” that we don’t know about. Maybe they broke a team rule.
It’s fun for all of us to second guess sports but we have to be careful, lest we become like the writers at the Denver Post! Lol
Bednar has been pretty damn good this year about playing the right personnel at the right time. I highly doubt that he overlooked the fact that the young guys were scoring.
To those who think (like I did last year), that Bednar is an emotionless twit with marginal mental capacity, you might want to really pay attention to WHAT he says rather than the tone that he says it in. The guy is VERY bright and the players respect him!.
Maybe those of us who get 10% of the info that they do, should defer to the folks that are truly knowledgeable in the locker room and player health. Jus sayin’. ?
( I also understand that it’s easy for me to say these things, because the game is over as I write this, and the Avs didn’t lose because of sitting the young guys.)
laurelslaurels
Well AD…. was it as long as a night in Smashville as you predicted?
ColoradoFanOxford
Since it’s been my drum since the losing streak/give away goal streak I will
Bang it again. Is Bednar the kind of coach who can win that SC? Why is Borque still on this roster? Experience is only good when the play matches it. As Borque averaged a C- even this year? He is what he is and will only get worse as he ages. Kamenev and Dries are still young (Kam really young) and should be getting those minutes. It is things like this I don’t get.
It seems like his plan most nights are for the top line to put 2 in, Varly to be a wall and Girard to do something somewhere to setup another. Is that coaching?
But when you are in 2nd place with the 2nd best Goal diff…you look like a genius. Still worried…as much as defense depth and 3/4 line scoring..