The Colorado Avalanche forward core is stacked with elite talent so much so that Nazem Kadri, who played first-line center for the Calgary Flames, is the team’s third line center when everyone is healthy. That means that Jack Drury, who has played the majority of the season at 3C, can now lead a fourth line that can dominate play on the ice at any given time. They dominate puck possession and help to maintain and increase momentum generated by the team’s top guns.
The Jack Drury line continues gaining traction
Since the Olympic Break, the Kelly-Drury-Kiviranta line has truly been special. In the 60+ minutes that they have been on the ice together, they have had a 71% Corsi For percentage, which means that they have controlled possession and played with the puck in the offensive zone for an absurdly high amount of each of their shifts.
These possession numbers are especially impressive considering that this line usually starts their shift in the neutral or defensive zones. That means that they are able to quickly win puck battles and move the play up the ice more often than not.
In the offensive zone
When on offense, the Drury line has a “pucks on net” mentality. They are not afraid from shooting from anywhere in the offensive zone because they are willing to follow up any blocks, misses, or rebounds. They are strong on the forecheck and willing to engage in puck battles, whether in the corners or net front. Their tenacious energy wears their opponents down and creates momentum and advantageous situations for their teammates once their shift is over.
Digging down into their specific statistics in 60 minutes at 5-on-5 since the Olympic Break, they have 82 shot attempts, 38 shots on goal, 37 scoring chances, 90 high-danger scoring chances, and two goals. It is absolutely relentless work from that trio when on offense.
A look back at Drury's goal at the end of the first 👈 pic.twitter.com/27wNHBMXUB
— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 27, 2026
The defensive details
Despite their dominance in the offensive zone, the most valuable aspect of the Drury line is their ability to match up against anybody on defense. It does not matter if they are going against another team’s star players or their grinder, they are going to shut them down.
Their main skill in that regard is to play keep-away with the puck, but, even when the other team does have the puck, that trio is superb at taking away time and space, blocking shots, clogging up passing lanes, and creating turnovers.
During those 60 minutes post-Olympics together, they have limited their opponents to just 32 shot attempts, 11 shots, 11 scoring chances, four high-danger chances, and zero goals. That is elite-level defensive work.
Looking towards the playoffs
Even with all of the 200-foot dominance that the Kelly-Drury-Kiviranta line has generated of late, there is a good chance that they will see an upgrade before the end of the regular season. Once Nic Roy returns to the line-up, Logan O’Connor most likely will take the place of Kiviranta, giving that trio even more speed and tenacity without ceding anything defensively.
Once the playoffs start, this group will be key in not only shutting down other teams’ top lines, but also in creating the gritty goals that all true contenders need in the playoffs. Whether it is to take a defensive zone draw, to bring some physicality, or to tilt the ice in the Avs’ favor, Avs fans can expect to see coach Jared Bednar use that fourth line as his secret weapon to drive his team towards success through their Stanley Cup playoff run.