The Avalanche are heading into Monday night’s meeting with the Blackhawks carrying a few moving parts, and Logan O’Connor is back in the mix.
O’Connor rejoined Colorado after missing Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames to attend his father’s memorial service. His father, Myles, a former NHL forward, died unexpectedly on October 6 in Calgary. O’Connor had already been dealing with a lower-body injury before stepping away from the team, making this a tough opening stretch to the season on multiple fronts.
He returned to action on October 23 and logged 14:41 in Colorado’s 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played in two more games after that, but he was absent against Calgary before rejoining the club for its upcoming road trip.
To make room, Gavin Brindley was sent back to the Colorado Eagles after being recalled for the Calgary game. Brindley skated 12 minutes in that contest, but his stint with the Avalanche was brief.
Colorado also made another roster move by recalling defenseman Keaton Middleton from the Eagles. With Josh Manson expected to miss approximately eight weeks because of an ankle injury, Noah Juulsen is set to step into the lineup. Still, head coach Jared Bednar wanted another defenseman available for the two-game trip, and Middleton gives the Avalanche that extra option.
Middleton is unlikely to play over the next two days, but his presence gives Colorado a seventh defenseman if needed.
The Avalanche now turn their attention to a back-to-back that starts in Chicago on Monday and continues in Columbus against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Colorado is 8-5-1 and sits third in the Central Division, while the Blackhawks are 4-9-1 and last in the standings.
Puck drop at the United Center is set for 6 p.m. Mountain Time.
O’Connor still hasn’t picked up a point this season, but Colorado values him for much more than offense. He brings speed, physicality, experience and a steady presence to the team’s bottom six.
In Other News...
Avalanche Were Dominated In Columbus For One Frustrating Reason
Columbus did not just beat Colorado, it overwhelmed the Avalanche with a season-high seven goals in a home game that snapped the Blue Jackets out of a recent scoring slump. The matchup turned quickly into one of those nights where one team seemed to have every answer, and for Colorado, the frustration was compounded by how effectively Columbus handled the top of the lineup battle.
A big part of that came from the Blue Jackets third line of Charlie Coyle, Cole Sillinger and Mathieu Olivier, which was able to match up against Colorados top line and keep the pressure on throughout the game. Ivan Provorovs return has also given Columbus defense a noticeable boost, and the combination of sturdier play in back and better line matching made the Avalanches trip to Columbus a rough one from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche Forward Is Making Colorado Fans Notice His New Start
Ross Colton is already giving Colorado fans a reason to keep one eye on Nashville. In his latest outing with the Predators, the former Avalanche forward scored a goal and added an assist in a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, a performance that fit neatly alongside a strong night from the rest of Nashvilles core.
Roman Josi chipped in with a goal, and Juuse Saros handled the rest with 29 saves as the Predators snapped Carolinas momentum. The result also ended Pyotr Kochetkovs 10-game winning streak to open the season, a rare start that had already put him in the NHL record conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Keep Showing A Road Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Avalanche have done enough at home to stay in the mix at 9-6-1, but the road has become a much harder sell. A 7-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets only sharpened the concern, because it was not an isolated off night so much as another example of Colorado getting pushed around away from Denver. For a team built to contend in the Central Division, the gap between what it looks like at home and what it has shown on the road is starting to stand out.
Colorado is also dealing with a broader pattern that goes beyond one bad trip. The defense has had trouble handling several low-scoring opponents, and the power play has not been doing enough to cover for those lapses. Sitting fourth in the division behind the Stars, Wild and Utah Mammoth, the Avalanche still have time to settle things down, but until the road game tightens up, the standings will keep reflecting the same uneasy trend. [Read more 🡒]