3 TAKEWAYS: Revisiting the avalanche to choose between Kadri and Nichushkin | Colorado Avalanche

Calgary Flames had an opportunity to put together the land in the position of Colorado Avalanche, but the road team does not allow it to happen on Thursday night. Colorado came back from a tough first period to go away with a 4-2 win.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Review of summer 2022

Avalanche had some choices to make after winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. Did they make the right ones?

At the time, as hard as it was to let Nazem Kadri go into free agency, it was a bit of a no-brainer to choose to sign Valeri Nichushkin over him. Nichushkin was significantly younger, had grown to a two-way strength and was Colorado’s best player in the Stanley Cup final.

Kadri signed a contract that will take him for 38 years, and although he is still a solid player, Avalanche chose the better player. The problem is said that the player has had some problems to put it mildly. Nichushkin is still the two-way power when he is in the lineup, but he has not been available when it has really meant the most for the last two seasons. We’ll see about this year.

Meanwhile, Avalanche still does not seem happy with the other line mid -position. Things started off well for Casey Mittelstadt in Denver after he was acquired at the trade deadline for 2024, but he has not played well for three months now, and a couple of NHL -Insiders have speculated that avalanche seems to be upgrading in that place … again … again ….

You can’t go back and change things now, but given everything that has happened to Nichushkin since, Avalanche might if they had a re-do.

No Manson

Josh Manson left Tuesday’s match with an lower body injury and missed Thursday’s matchup with the flames. He will probably also miss the last game of Avalanche Play before 4 Nations Break, Friday’s game in Edmonton. The team is hopeful that he will return after the break, but they probably do not know for sure until the players start returning to the city.

With Manson Out, former Flames defender Oliver Kylington returned to the lineup after missing more than two months due to an injury.

Wedgewood doesn’t dress

A Healthy Scott Wedgewood would probably have started this game. Although he went on the trip, he doesn’t seem to be healthy.

Trent mines backed up Mackenzie Blackwood, which is likely to start again on Friday. Since the slippage needs to knock as many points as they can before the break, they take their chances of playing their starts both nights on a back-to-back before he gets a two-week rest.

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Avalanche 4, flames 2

What happened: After a brutal start, avalanche came back to beat the flames and created a seven-point gap between the two teams in the position.

What went right: It is difficult not to be impressed with what Martin Necas is doing with avalanche. He picked up an assist on Colorado’s second goal, but the whole game was created by him. Forward, the puck led through the neutral zone and around all the flames defenders to get the offensive zone. He wasn’t done at the time when he was all over the ice for the rest of the shift. He was rewarded with a goal later in the period of Power Play and picked up another on an interruption in the third.

Necas ended the night with 12 shot attempts and has eight points in seven games with avalanche.

What went wrong: The first period was a mess for avalanche. They were not exceeded terribly, but their game with the puck was bad. Several defensive zone revenue led to extended zone time and three sanctions against. Kylington alone had five or six revenue just shaking the rust off.

Fortunately for the players, Mackenzie Blackwood was there to clean up most of what the flames sent their way.

AVALANCE -OBJECTIVE: Makar (20), Lehkonen (22), Necas (18, 19)

Flames target scorers: Huberdeau (21), Andersson (8)

Between the pipes: Blackwood was Rock Solid again and stopped 27 of 29 shots for the victory.

What is the next one: Colorado takes Oilers in Edmonton on Friday for their last match before the break at. 19