3 bright spots in the Colorado Avalanche preseason finale loss to the Utah Hockey Club

The Colorado Avalanche wrapped up their preseason with a 2-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday night.

Ivan Ivan capped off an impressive preseason by scoring the Avs’ lone goal. Ivan scored the equalizer a 5:52 of the first period. The game stayed tied at one until Nick Schmaltz broke the deadlock with a power play goal early in the third.

The Hockey Club held on for the 2-1 win at the Maverik Center in Utah. The Utah Hockey Club improved to 5-2 on the preseason, while the Avs closed off their preseason 1-5.

While the preseason is largely inconsequential, there is some mild concern regarding the lack of wins. Nevertheless, the Avs featured prospects and non-roster players predominantly throughout the preseason, opening the door to some potential newcomers to the team, like Ivan.

Three bright spots in the Colorado Avalanche preseason finale loss to the Utah Hockey Club

Georgiev played well in the losing effort

Alexandar Georgiev had a solid night, stopping 18 of 20 shots. Georgiev had appeared shaky in his last couple of outings. So, Saturday night’s performance will hopefully get some momentum going as the season gets underway this week.

Ivan could have cemented a roster spot for himself

Ivan Ivan has been a revelation this preseason. His latest preseason goal may have put him over the top. Ivan could factor into the Avs’ bottom six, potentially playing a key role in helping the Avs generate more depth scoring.

It remains to be seen whether Ivan makes the final cut. However, based on his performance over the last two preseason games, he could be poised to make the team out of camp.

Malinski got one final preseason look

Sam Malinski has been another pleasant surprise this preseason. Malinski could be one of the final cuts this preseason. Nevertheless, his performance will most likely catapult him to the top of the Colorado Avalanche’s depth chart. So, if one of Oliver Kylington, Erik Brannstrom, or Calvin de Haan struggles, Malisnki could get a call-up.

Similarly, the Avs should expect to see Malinski rejoin the team in case of injuries on the blue line. Ideally, Malinski gets regular playing time. That is why sending him down to the Colorado Eagles could be the best decision for his development at this time.