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Avalanche back on track, but lose Byram in victory over Anaheim

  
Byram
Bowen Byram concentrates during the warmup prior to the game. (Photo courtesy of Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)

The Colorado Avalanche have now played the Anaheim Ducks for the third time since Nov. 15. The Avalanche now have wrapped up the season series against the Ducks with a 2–0–1 record. Former Colorado Eagles head coach Greg Cronin held his own in all the games and took one to a shootout. Cale Makar missed his second consecutive game along with Valeri Nichushkin. But the key here is that defenseman Bowen Byram did not complete the game because of an injury. Head coach Jared Bednar said after the game that it was an upper-body injury, but not head related. Here are the takeaways from the 3–2 win against Anaheim.

Takeaways

— Through three games so far in an Avalanche sweater, Sam Malinski looks excellent. With an average of just over 15 minutes of ice time in all three games, he has a plus-1 rating. In the second period, the puck bounced over his stick and he could chase down the player and pin them in the corner. He prevented any possibility of a shot on the play. He even blocked three shots on net. The kid will be something special soon.

— Kurtis MacDermid opened the scoring with an amazing foot to stick goal. His hard work over the summer continues to show, as he is shooting 66.7%. The last two games he has played in, he has scored. He does not shoot often, but when he does, look out.

— The hit on Byram, although clean, may be a worrisome thing for the young defenseman. He has a history of concussions (missing 56 games last season), and has yet to play a full season in the NHL. Max Jones put a shoulder square into Byram’s chest as he sent the puck into the zone. Logan O’Connor did not agree with the hit and jumped Jones right away. Neither Jones or Byram played any shifts in the third period.

— The mixup of the forward lines is just what the Avalanche needed. Having O’Connor jump from the fourth to the first line is a move that I like. He has a lot of speed, can forecheck and has great vision to make a play.

Conclusion

After a challenging road trip, Colorado returned home and needed to regain focus. This game was the one to do it. They have four more at home and have already earned two out of 10 points. The replacements in Malinski, Caleb Jones and Oskar Olausson have done an outstanding job so far with the next-man-up mentality. Thursday night’s match against the Winnipeg Jets will be a genuine test for the Avalanche. The Jets sit only four points behind Colorado in the standings and are 7–3–0 in their last 10 games.

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