Jared Bednar has been looking for answers early this season, and Tuesday night in Toronto gave him a promising one.
The Avalanche’s reshuffled line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy looked dangerous in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs, and the group had a hand in two of Colorado’s biggest goals. It was the kind of impact Bednar has been searching for after publicly saying not long ago that he wasn’t happy with the team’s play and needed to start making changes.
“We’ve been talking to them a lot about an identity,” Bednar said.
That identity, at least in this game, was built around a clear division of labor. Landeskog brought the net-front presence and leadership.
Kadri handled the creativity and center-ice responsibility. Roy used his size and work along the boards to create chances.
Bednar put it plainly: “The strength of their game should be below the tops of the circle in the offensive zone, while being a responsible team.”
The trio backed that up against Toronto.
Landeskog opened the scoring for the line late in the first period, finishing off a sequence that started when Roy drove to the net and created a rebound chance. Then, after the Maple Leafs clawed back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game early in the third period, Colorado needed a response fast. It got one 51 seconds later, when Kadri found Landeskog near the net for the go-ahead goal.
Afterward, Bednar liked what he saw.
“That’s what they should look like. That’s what we want it to look like,” Bednar said.
It’s still early, and no one in Colorado is ready to stamp this as a finished product. But if this combination keeps producing, it could become a major piece for a team that already has a loaded top offensive unit.
Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen have already formed one of the NHL’s most dangerous groups. MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 30 points, while he, Necas and Lehkonen rank one, two and three on the team in goals. If Landeskog, Kadri and Roy can add another consistent threat, opponents will have a much tougher time deciding where to focus their attention.
That matters even more with Bednar still trying to sort through injuries and uneven play as he searches for stability. Constant lineup shuffling can only go so far. If this trio keeps clicking, it could give Colorado something it has been missing.
“We will just keep building that identity with those guys, and hopefully it turns into a really good line for us, like it was tonight,” Bednar said post-game.
The win pushed Colorado to 11-6-2 and extended its run to five victories in the last seven games. The next challenge comes Thursday, when the Avalanche continue their four-game road trip against the Ottawa Senators.
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