PHILADELPHIA — The Colorado Avalanche has more than 40 percent of the regular season still to play, but it might have two of the four forwards lines for Game 1 of its Stanley Cup Playoffs run in place.
Everything about the regular season is about building towards the playoffs for the Avs, because the expectations are clear: championship or bust. Coach Jared Bednar has tinkered with his lineup combinations, but two trios have come into focus over the past 20 games.
One is first line with Jonathan Drouin as the third guy next to superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. The other is a trio that gets broken up, either because of injuries or another line needs some help, but always seems to find itself back together again.
Ross Colton, with Miles Wood and Logan O’Connor flanking him, looks like a line Bednar can trust.
“That line has been really good for us when it’s been together,” Bednar said. “There’s a similar identity with all three players — hard-driving, hard-skating, physical, straight-line hockey. I like it a lot.”
For the past few games, they have been the de facto second line with Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen both unavailable. They have produced like one in small spurts, particularly at the end of this just-completed road trip.
But this is most likely to be the Avs’ third line once, health and other factors permitting, Bednar has a full compliment of forwards to work with. Colton and Wood have been capable third-line level forwards at their previous stops.
Wood had 19 goals one season, pus 17 in just 55 games during the COVID-19 shortened year with New Jersey. He’s got a chance to surpass his career high of 32 points in his first season since signing a six-year contract with Colorado.
Colton averaged 19 goals and 35 points over the past two seasons with Tampa Bay, and he’s on pace to notch a new career-best in points as well. Before the season began, MacKinnon noted that both of those players added something the club needed more of. He was talking about the other elements of their game: Wood’s snarl and Colton’s ability to antagonize.
They’ve been as advertised.
“Sometimes when guys aren’t producing, they aren’t really doing anything,” MacKinnon said. “That can’t really happen. If you’re not scoring, you need to be something else. That’s what those guys do so well. They’re both physical guys, forecheckers.
“Very skilled players, but the physicality is what we needed. They’re doing that, and they’re producing.”
O’Connor is a veteran for this franchise, but the new guy in this trio as someone who looks like a bona fide third-line forward. He’s been a Swiss army-knife type of player for Bednar in the past, someone who can fill in further up the lineup when needed.
But his production over his first two full NHL seasons was pretty standard for a fourth-line guy — just shy of 10 goals and around 25 points. O’Connor has taken a leap forward this season. His hat trick Saturday against the Flyers gave him 11 goals and 22 points in 45 games.
He’s got a chance to reach 20 goals and 40 points, which would both be strong totals for a third-line wing who doesn’t see any time on the power play.
“I think our group in here, everyone works on their craft a lot, and I think you’ve seen guys push each other,” O’Connor said. “It’s the little things off the ice and on the ice that I don’t think many people see. Our group takes a lot of pride in working on their game. I think it’s improved a lot of guys’ games because of that.”
It’s not just goals and points. Those three forwards have played 188 minutes together at 5-on-5 this season, according to Natural Stat Trick. They tilt the ice in Colorado’s favor, creating more than 60 percent of the scoring chances, nearly 60 percent of the expected goals and an 11-7 advantage in actual goals scored.
The Colton line isn’t defined by its production, but the tick upwards for all three guys has been a big boost for the Avs. Eventually, Lehkonen and Nichushkin should be able to team up with a center — either Ryan Johansen or someone general manager Chris MacFarland adds before the trade deadline — to form a competent or better second line.
Lehkonen could return as soon as Wednesday against the Capitals at Ball Arena. Nichushkin’s return is very much to be determined while he is in the NHL/NHPA Players Assistance Program. Who joins the roster before the March 8 trade deadline is even less clear.
But the Avs do have some certainty up front. Drouin has meshed well on the top line, and it can throw haymakers with anyone in the NHL. Fredrik Olofsson and Joel Kiviranta have helped give Bednar competent fourth-line options to play with Andrew Cogliano.
The middle of the lineup has been in flux at various times this season, but Colton, O’Connor and Wood have proven to be an excellent fit together. It could be the type of line that helps swing a playoff series, and help the Avs reach their highest of expectations.
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