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Colorado Avalanche: Who Deserves the Fourth Line Spot?

By Karen Cherrett |
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 05: Anton Khudobin #35 of the Dallas Stars stops a shot by Matt Nieto #83 of the Colorado Avalanche as teammate Matt Calvert #11 stands by and Stephen Johns #28 of the Dallas Stars defends in the second period in a Western Conference Round Robin game during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff at Rogers Place on August 05, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 05: Anton Khudobin #35 of the Dallas Stars stops a shot by Matt Nieto #83 of the Colorado Avalanche as teammate Matt Calvert #11 stands by and Stephen Johns #28 of the Dallas Stars defends in the second period in a Western Conference Round Robin game during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff at Rogers Place on August 05, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

Tyson Jost?

Tyson Jost filled the third spot on the Colorado Avalanches fourth line in game one of the Round Robin series.

I personally wasn’t impressed with his performance. He wasn’t impactful and didn’t fit with the style of play played by both Calvert and Bellamere.

Interestingly Scott MacDonald of Colorado Hockey Now commented that Jost is a great player, just not great on this team.

I’m agreeing with him. His skill and ability on the ice have developed during his time with the Avalanche and yet somehow he’s missed a spot.

This year the team bought in playmakers and scorers, something that Jost mustn’t have been considered good at, otherwise, he would have had a solid place on a line.

During the season Avalanche Coach Jared Bednar has tried him in many different spots on the ice, and he’s shown little bits of flair, but overall not consistency to say “Hey, this is my spot.”

It’s a shame for him, as I think he really likes being a part of this Avalanche team.

Or Matt Nieto?

Matt Nieto, on the other hand, played on the fourth line in the game against the Dallas Stars. Whilst that line didn’t score, they had some great play.  The line was in the play, both offensively and supporting defensively. They were breaking up the Stars plays.

Whilst Nieto wasn’t a stand out in any way, I felt his overall contribution to the line was more than that of Jost.

Coach Bednar hasn’t made a final call on who ‘owns’ the spot. If he had he would have left either Jost or Nieto home rather than take them to Edmonton with the team.

Statistically, Jost is Better

Interestingly looking at the stats of both players, Jost has better stats especially when it comes to putting shots on goal. So what’s wrong?  Why isn’t he, when he’s on the ice, doing that and showing that he has the talent to take hold of that spot on the line?

Nieto played three more games during this 2019-20 cut short regular season. Jost has 23 points to Nieto’s 21.

Jost has a 7% shooting average whilst Nieto’s is 9.4. That could be the difference-maker.  The other place that Nieto has the percentage advantage over Jost is on the Face Offs. Jost only has 33.33 and Nieto 40%.

Small differences in the bigger scheme of things and yet every face-off win makes a difference. Every shot on the goal makes a difference.

Is Chemistry Not There Though?

Is it simply that the chemistry isn’t there between Jost, Bellamere and Calvert given both Belly and Calvy are older and more experienced players?

This is Nieto’s eighth season in the NHL, which means has had more ice time and more experience playing with others.

It’s only Jost’s fourth season. And as a player, it’s the time of their careers in the NHL where they start coming into their own and shaping their future.

Maybe Jost’s future isn’t on the fourth line for the Colorado Avalanche. Maybe he’s destined for bigger and better things elsewhere.

Coach Bednar has been fair and given both players the opportunity to shine on that fourth line. Let’s hope the best player is chosen for the spot as we head into the PlayOffs for real.

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