A young Brock Nelson was a “big fan” of Anze Kopitar and the way he plays. He no doubt admires the Kings captain.
Most of the time.
“Not too much of a fan right now,” Nelson joked after Avalanche practice on Monday.
Nelson and his line, which includes Valeri Nichushkin and Parker Kelly, look like they will be tasked with going head-to-head with the top line for the Kings, which consists of Kopitar, Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe. The Avalanche move Nelson around occasionally for matchups, putting him on a line with Nathan MacKinnon if there’s an offensive zone faceoff they can take advantage of. But for the most part, he’s their shutdown guy.
In Colorado’s 2-1 win in Game 1, Nelson mostly matched up with the trio of Kopitar, Kempe and Panarin at even strength. Nelson either broke even or was close to breaking even in every major statistic against that trio, including the most important one: zero goals for, zero against.
Sure, the Avalanche would love if their second line created some offense, pinning the Kings’ top line in their own end as much as possible. But they’ll take that stat line, knowing their other lines are capable of winning their matchups outright. Nelson scored 33 goals this season, so he’s more than capable of creating offense, but he was also Jared Bednar’s matchup guy.
So in that sense, not a lot has changed for Nelson’s line.
“(Defense) should be (emphasized) for sure, no matter who you’re going out there against,” Nelson said. “Going against those guys, tons of skill and high-end talent, so trying to stay patient offensively and being responsible. You don’t want to give them any free pucks by trying to force things to generate offense. Just try to stay tight-checking and stay patient that you’ll get your looks and create turnovers, and just try not to give them too much.”
As has been the case all season, Nelson will be attached at the hip with Nichushkin during the playoffs. The two play together at even strength, on the penalty kill and now on the power play. They’re even stallmates at the Avalanche practice facility. For all we know, they might be able to finish each other’s sentences at this point.
Nichushkin didn’t create much offense in Game 1, but he did make life miserable for the Kings’ defensemen and forwards all over the ice.
“He’s just so well-rounded,” Nelson said of his linemate. “He does a little bit of everything. Size, speed, skill, tenacious forecheck. He’s physical. He’s responsible defensively, obviously one of the better (penalty killers). We go out there a lot together and easy guy to read off and support … if he doesn’t get on the scoresheet, he still can make a pretty big impact on the game.”
Practice notes
- The Avalanche held an optional skate, with only a few regulars taking part in it. They rarely practiced during the regular season, so don’t expect that to change in the playoffs.
- Bednar said he had “tough decisions” to make for Game 1 with a fully healthy forward group, which meant Ross Colton was a healthy scratch. That’s the first time Colton has been a healthy scratch in Denver. The coach said special teams played a role in that decision, but the message to Colton was simple. “You’ve got to stay ready and be ready to come in and keep an eye closely on the series so you know what’s going on, and be ready to make an impact when you get an opportunity because there’s no doubt it’s going to come,” Bednar said.
- The Avalanche won’t announce lineup choices before game day, but despite Scott Wedgewood’s great performance in Game 1, don’t be surprised if it’s Mackenzie Blackwood in net for Game 2. “You need to rely on both guys and I think we’re in a good position to be able to do that,” Bednar said.