10 Observations: Colton Benefitting Most From Nichushkin’s Recent Return

Ahead of a must-see Central Division showdown against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena on Sunday afternoon, the Avalanche first stopped in Calgary to take on Nazem Kadri and the Calgary Flames.

They came out with a 4-2 victory, thanks to Parker Kelly’s two goals and 22 saves from Scott Wedgewood. Ross Colton had two helpers.

Now, the Avs return home 7-0-1 in their last eight games with an opportunity to pull within a point of Dallas for second in the Central, although the Stars have two games in hand.

The Mikko Rantanen reunion is going to be a slugfest.

As for that game in Calgary, here’s how it went down.

10 Observations

1. Ryan Lindgren, Logan O’Connor, Jack Drury, Colton, and of course, Kelly. Those are the only players to make it on the scoresheet for the Avs before Valeri Nichushkin’s empty-netter. So much for not having depth that can produce, right?

2. Don’t look now, but Colton has nine points in his last eight games. He looks like he’s getting that excitement back in his game (and goal celebrations).

Colton has 15 goals and 10 assists in 50 games. That means he’s right back to where he was a season ago — averaging a half a point per game. This seemed extremely unlikely even jut a week ago.

3. It’s no coincidence that his offensive spark aligns with Nichushkin’s return. Nichushkin has five goals and two assists in those eight games. Him returning meant Colton no longer had to juggle between second and third-line duties with Juuso Parssinen (remember him?)

Nichushkin solidified the top-four winger positions, Colton solidified his spot on the third line, and suddenly, both are producing.

Having forward depth isn’t just simply having more options. It’s about slotting players into appropriate roles and allowing them the best opportunity to produce. This is a clear example of that.

Colton has always been a team first guy. Earlier in the season he repeated several times that he’s open to any role Jared Bednar needs him to play. Whether its at center, in the bottom six, on the top line, or on the power play. Even with that in mind, I bet Colton appreciates the consistency he has now on that line with Charlie Coyle and Joel Kiviranta. Having steady linemates means more chemistry and comfortability.

4. Between Kelly’s two goals against Calgary, the shots were 13-2 for the Flames, and they broke Scott Wedgewood’s shutout bid in the process. Solid bit of work by Kelly to make it 3-1.

Quite frankly, before he made it 2-0, Calgary was starting to come on strong. Both of his goals were a massive gut punch for the home team.

5. Pretty quiet couple of road games for Brock Nelson. If there’s a game for him to find his stride, it’s the next one.

Coyle isn’t producing much either but that’s not his main focus. That third line had a solid game against the Flames.

The trio of Coyle, Colton, and Kiviranta had a heck of a night.

“As long as those other lines are playing good defensively, playing the right way, and chip in offensively, that’s when you see great teams emerge,” Coyle said. pic.twitter.com/GBY7x3dI6q

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) March 15, 2025

6. Josh Manson’s upper-body injury is bad news. I was a little concerned when he returned to start the second period and even more so when he barely played in it. We saw this happen right before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. They gotta make sure he’s 100% ready before letting him get back out there.

When Manson returned against the Sharks, he was spotted postgame getting onto the back of a golf cart outside of the Avs’ dressing room. The cart is often used to transport players to the X-ray and MRI room. That was four games ago.

An update on Manson’s status is expected on Sunday morning. The Avs and Stars drop the puck at 1:30 pm later that afternoon.

7. I’ve never seen a goalie battle quite like Wedgewood. It seems like every other play in the Avs’ zone leads to some kind of collision with him. But he always manages to get back on his feet and continue to do his thing. That friendly fire run-in with Ryan Lindgren was another example. Calgary scored on that play, though.

Wedgewood’s been everything you want out of a backup. He’s won his last three starts and surrendered just three total goals. If you include the 2-1 loss to Nashville coming out of 4 Nations, Wedgewood has started four of 10 games, giving up five goals. When your backup is that reliable, you don’t need to overplay your starter.

This was a scheduled start for Mackenzie Blackwood before the change was made because he was sick. It can’t hurt to give him more rest before the Dallas game.

Wedgewood is 8-4-0 with a .921 save percentage and two shutouts with Colorado.

8. Things haven’t always looked perfect on the defensive side of the puck for the Avs. But anytime you give up 19 goals in a 10-game stretch, you’re doing something right. Especially when you double it and score 38 goals at the other end.

These numbers include the back-to-back regulation losses coming out of 4-Nations. I would’ve never imagined back then that Colorado would be 7-2-1 in its first 10 games after the break. The only lost point was the shootout in Minnesota.

9. Four players are a team-high +7 since 4-Nations: Artturi Lehkonen, MacKinnon, Kiviranta, and (surprisingly) Sam Malinski. The blueliner was a healthy scratch against Calgary.

This, at least, makes you feel a bit better about the possibility that Manson might be hurt. Malinski’s game has looked better in general since the lengthy break. It’s not just his plus minus rating.

10. That’s 40 wins now with 15 games remaining. Can the Avalanche get to 50 for the fourth straight season?