{"id":264442,"date":"2025-11-01T07:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T07:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/264442\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T07:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T07:00:10","slug":"10-observations-the-avalanche-flexed-their-pk-depth-in-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/264442\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Observations: The Avalanche Flexed Their PK Depth in Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"

What a month it\u2019s been for the Avalanche. After defeating the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Friday, the Avs (7-1-4) became the last remaining team to have only one regulation loss.<\/p>\n

In each of the last two games, Colorado handed the New Jersey Devils and the Knights their second regulation loss.<\/p>\n

Martin Necas led the way with a three-point game, Brent Burns got his first goal with the Avs, and Scott Wedgewood put in yet another solid performance.<\/p>\n

10 Observations<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Just over 24 hours after signing an eight-year contract extension, Necas scored 41 seconds into the game and later added two assists. That\u2019s not a sentence I thought I\u2019d be writing in October.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0The Golden Knights ended up scoring a power play goal in the third period, but it doesn\u2019t take away from what was an otherwise excellent penalty kill performance by the Avs.<\/p>\n

Colorado was 5-for-6 on the PK in a game where they only had two power plays. But the PK was solid, as was the goaltending from Scott Wedgewood to step up when Vegas got through the defenders.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Head coach Jared Bednar referenced the team\u2019s PK depth after the game, and how he\u2019s got six forwards he cycles through. That depth is so incredibly important, especially when you consider that Logan O\u2019Connor and Joel Kiviranta are both injured and are big pieces of the PK.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Five of the six penalties the Avs had were taken by regulars on the PK. That still didn\u2019t stop the others from stepping up. Colorado has a top-5 PK in the league, which is nice given how much longer It\u2019s taken for the PP to get going.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say all year, it\u2019s given us a chance to win every night,\u201d Bednar told reporters about the PK.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Gavin Brindley did not return after taking an open ice hit from Ivan Barbashev. Bednar said postgame that he doesn\u2019t yet have an update and will know more on Saturday before the team takes on the San Jose Sharks. That would be a big bummer if he\u2019s out for any considerable amount of time.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Brock Nelson got his second goal in three games. It\u2019s taken longer for him to get his offense going, but this is a nice start.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Kudos to the Avs for getting in front of pucks. Colorado had a 26-23 advantage in shots on goal, but Vegas had 25 more attempts that the Avs blocked.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Leading the way in the blocked shots department? Sam Malinksi (4).<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0Zakhar Bardakov did not take a shift in the third period, finishing with a game low 3:54 of ice time. His line spent a lot of time defending in the early going and it was probably enough for Bednar to shorten the bench.<\/p>\n

This is another example of why having depth matters. If Bardakov needs time to develop, and that time includes some stretches of being a healthy scratch, you want to have extra NHL-capable forwards that can fill in and give you an honest 9\u201312 minutes.<\/p>\n

I know he\u2019s injured now, but this was likely the thought process when Kiviranta was finally re-signed late in the offseason. I would not be surprised if Bardakov is the one to come out when O\u2019Connor is healthy. That is, of course, assuming Brindley is healthy, too.<\/p>\n

10. Wedgewood leads the league with seven wins. That matches his career high for wins in a month.<\/p>\n


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