Colorado Avalanche: 7 Takeaways from Win vs Ducks

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October 16, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Colorado Avalanchecenter Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates with left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) his goal scored against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Avalanche came back from a 6-2 loss against the Boston Bruins by shutting out the Anaheim Ducks on the road. Not everything was great, but many things were.

Many NHL fans and writers had the Anaheim Ducks atop the Western Conference and as the West’s Stanley Cup Finalist. Four games into the season, the birds from Orange County are still without a win and only one point away from the bottom of the standings. Even the Colorado Avalanche was able to beat Anaheim 3-0 with Reto Berra — their oh-so-terrible backup — in net.

That terrible, inconsistent backup made 35 saves which earned him first-star honors. Colorado’s goals came from Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Skille and John Mitchell.

So far, goal scoring wasn’t really an issue for the Avs. Through the first four games of the season, six different players have found the back of the net for a total of 15 shots. However, defense play — from defensemen as well as forwards — was as much a problem as it was last season, as Colorado got a total of 14 goals against in the first three games. Therefore, it’s good to see that they can also shut out their opponents offense sometimes.

Here are seven more things we noticed in the game against Anaheim.

Next: Zadorov Is Great

Jan 8, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Buffalo Sabres defensemen Nikita Zadorov (51) looks on before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes defeated the Sabres 5-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

1. Nikita Zadorov Is Great — Even with Nate Guenin

Nikita Zadorov was the main piece in the trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres on draft day. When he started the season on the third pairing, there was a surprising amount of frustrated people that thought the Avalanche didn’t get a goo-enough return. Three games later, there is no doubt that Big Z has all the tools to become a great top-four defenseman.

Zadorov with Nick Holden in Game 1 worked extremely well. Zadorov with Tyson Barrie in Games 2 and 3? Just as much. Against the Ducks, Zadorov spent the majority of the night paired with Nate Guenin — and, get ready — even that worked out.

Was it because of Guenin’s awesome play? Ha! Of course not. As our former editor Austin Manak (now writer for BSN Denver) put it:

Zadorov is the perfect partner for Guenin, because while Guenin stands around covering nobody... Zadorov zips around covering everybody.
— Avstin (@Cottstigan) October 17, 2015

That’s exactly what happened. Guenin was out there being Guenin, but Zadorov had it all under control, leaving the opposing attackers no chance. Now, that doesn’t mean Zadorov-Guenin is a good idea. Guenin belongs in the press box or AHL. But it’s good to know that we finally have someone in the lineup who can deal with Guenin as his partner. Also, Zadorov is second in Avalanche ice time with a total of 71:03 through four games.

Zadorov — Gormley next game? I vote yes.

Next: Nick Holden? Also Great!

Nov 4, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden (2) before the game against the Vancouver Canucks at Pepsi Center. The Canucks won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

2. Nick Holden? Also Great!

I don’t want to say I told you, but… I totally told you! Back in July, I wrote an article stating that Nick Holden could be the biggest surprise of the 2015-16 season. Is he the biggest surprise? That’s up to you, I don’t know how surprised you all are. But I can tell you this: Holden is currently one of the better defensemen on the Colorado Avalanche.

Even a few games into this season, people have been saying Holden shouldn’t be in the NHL, just like Guenin and Brad Stuart. But… WHY?!

Holden is constantly one of the Avalanche’s best possession players. Guess which Avs player has the best Corsi-for percentage so far this season. That’s right, it’s Nick Holden. According to stats.hockeyanalysis.com, Holden sits at 49.3, ahead of Blake Comeau’s 48.4 — while being third in Avalanche ice time.

He started out on a pairing with Zadorov and I just hyped the big Russian. But he also looked great with Barrie, which is something Guenin was unable to achieve. Just accept it, Holden isn’t as terrible as Guenin and Stuart.

Next: Duchene Line Still Struggling

Oct 14, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (9) attempts to control the puck in front of Boston Bruins goalie Jonas Gustavsson (50) and defenseman Kevan Miller (86) during the first period at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

3. Duchene Line Still Struggling

After two nice takeaways, let’s get to a negative one. It’s not the first time that Matt Duchene is starting slow. It’s kind of part of his thing. Still, it isn’t nice to watch and should change soon, if we ever want him to reach elite level.

Related: Matt Duchene Might Never Become Elite — But That’s Okay!

After four games this season, Duchene is still scoreless. He just can’t find chemistry with his line mates, no matter who that is. The only constant partner this season has been Jarome Iginla. On the left wing, Patrick Roy has tried Comeau, Alex Tanguay, Carl Soderberg and Mikko Rantanen — so far without success.

Luckily, the Avs’ second line of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Tanguay is killing it. Still, Duchene is the highest-paid player on the team and No. 1 on the depth chart. He should start to produce rather soon, or coach Roy will have to find a different solution.

Next: New First Line

October 16, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Colorado Avalanchecenter Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates with left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) and left wing Alex Tanguay (40) his goal scored against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

4. The Colorado Avalanche Has a New First Line

In the 2014-15 season, the Colorado Avalanche’s best line was arguably that of Ryan O’Reilly, Landeskog and either one of Tanguay and MacKinnon. While we all know how good our captain is, how much talent MacKinnon has and how great Tanguay’s career has been so far, the main factor that made the group successful seemed to be O’Reilly. Now we have to say: Hahaha, no!

5. Mikko Rantanen Looked Good with Duchene

Rantanen, the Avalanche’s 2015 first-round pick from Finland, had a very slow start into his first NHL season. After four games, he is still without a point while being a minus-4. Not exactly what the Avs were hoping for. Fun fact: he was exactly as bad as Duchene, but looked surprisingly good on Dutchy’s top line.

So, what does surprisingly good mean in this case? Well, he led the Avalanche with four shots and spent less time in the defensive zone than he did with Soderberg and Borna Rendulic — who was a healthy scratch against the Ducks. If I were Patrick Roy, I would put out Rantanen, Duchene and Iginla together for another game or two and see how it goes.

If it goes well and both Duchene and Rantanen find their scoring touch, perfect. If not, oh well, Roy will find a way. Perhaps Rantanen could profit from some developing time in the minors while, say, Mikhail Grigorenko takes his spot on the first line. We’ll see.

Next: MacKinnon Is Past Sophomore Slump

October 16, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) controls the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

6. Nathan MacKinnon Is Past His Sophomore Slump

Why is nobody talking about MacKinnon? After recording 63 points in an outstanding rookie campaign, the Cole Harbor native only made it to 38 in 64 games in 2014-15. Everybody was hoping for a bounce-back season this year and it seems to be happening. MacKinnon is finally where we want him to be — at the top of the score sheet.

As mentioned before, Colorado’s second line led by MacKinnon is currently the team’s best unit. As if that wasn’t enough, 20-year-old MacKinnon is leading the team in scoring with two goals and four assists, tied with captain Landeskog who has four goals and two assists. Everything just seems to be going right for him right now and we should be glad.

It starting to look like Duchene may never become the elite center we were hoping for, but if MacKinnon can take that spot, do we really care? A top line with Landeskog and MacKinnon would be perfect and could stay the same for the next 10 seasons or so. Perhaps Rantanen will join the duo once Tanguay retires. Whatever happens, Nate MacKinnon looks like the next Avalanche superstar.

Next: Berra Is Good Enough!

October 16, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Colorado Avalanche goalie Reto Berra (20) blocks a shot against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

7. Reto Berra Is Good Enough!

Semyon Varlamov didn’t have a good start into the season. The Russian currently sits at a save percentage of .841 and a goals-against average of 5.06. Ouch. Nobody in Avs Nation really seems to think that Reto Berra is a good replacement, but the Swiss goalie did his best to prove all the haters wrong.

Against the Ducks, Berra recorded his first shutout of the season and the second of his career. His positioning was consistently perfect through 60 minutes in Anaheim and he got his reward. Will he start Sunday against the LA Kings? That’s up to coach Roy, but Berra has definitely made a case for himself.

It’s nice to see that you can at least occasionally rely on Berra as the backup. He may not be an adequate replacement for Varlamov in case he continues to struggle, but he is at least good enough to be an NHL backup. Here at Mile High Sticking, we’ve always believed in Berra and gained quite a bit of criticism for that. Reading through comments on any one of our Berra articles, it’s mostly disagreement and negatives. Personally, I’m just glad that that may change now.

Next: Duchene and Ducks Having Scoring Problems

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