Nikolai Kovalenko
Nikolai Kovalenko had a relatively quiet night in the first tilt against Dallas. However, the Russian winger really came out with an attitude to prove it on Friday. He was all over the ice, creating opportunities for his teammates.
Kovalenko was particularly exciting in front of and around the net. The obvious impact was felt when he delivered a behind the net pass to Ivan Ivan for the Avs‘ first goal. Later on, Kovalenko assisted Parker Kelly on a second Colorado score.
The Kelly goal was a real positive for me because it was a rapid response from the Avalanche and Kelly in particular, who got a bit lost on the previous Dallas goal. Sometimes that added bit of context illustrates team cohesion.
Kovalenko had two more beautiful looking feeds that could have resulted in goals with just a little more luck. One of those chances was with Kelly again, and the other was with Jean-Luc Foudy I believe.
The ability to find space and move pucks where plays could be made is crucial to production at the top level. If anything, I think Kovalenko could have looked to shoot it a little more himself, but an instinct to turn good looks into great ones is also welcome.
It might seem like making excuses for a 4-2 loss, but the talent and experience disparity was large. Dallas dressed something like ten NHL regulars against the Avalanche on Friday. The Stars’ top line of Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn produced the lion's share of points.
Colorado will gradually insert more of their big names into the lineup as the preseason rolls on. But for now, I actually love that Kovalenko was able to stand out against so many NHL veterans.
Ordinarily I would have slotted Kovalenko in for a bottom-six role. Something similar to where his name popped up late last year when he came over from the KHL. But quite frankly, with the Avalanche’s injury concerns where they are currently, I could feasibly see him on the second line.
I really want to see Kovalenko get some minutes next to Casey Mittelstadt going forward in these preseason games. Mittelstadt is going to be asked to do a lot in his first full season for the Avalanche. Yet, as of now, he still doesn't know what the composition of his line will even look like.