Denver, CO
Blue-chip Avalanche prospect could soon join the team
Nikolai Kovalenko is in Denver, could that mean the Russian forward could soon be joining the Colorado Avalanche?
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the Avs in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft was named the fifth-best player on Mile High Hockey’s preseason 25 under 25, placing behind players like Cale Makar and the now-traded Bowen Byram. Kovalenko is a five-foot-ten, 185-pound winger who can also play center. Playing in Russia’s KHL for Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo tallied over 100 points in 113 games including the postseason. This year with Torpedo was his seventh in the KHL, spending most of his career with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. In the past, Kovalenko featured on Russia’s World Junior team in 2019 which won Bronze.
In recognition of Kovalenko’s standout out play Torpedo terminated their alternate captain’s contract so he could sign an entry-level deal with the Avs. Coloraod loaned him back to his Russian team for the year but now that his season in the KHL is over, Kovalenko could seemingly be days from his NHL debut. And he shared on Instagram that he landed in Denver on Sunday.
Nikolai Kovalenko has arrived in Denver….. #Avs #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/YmCXBmSIvz
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) March 18, 2024
Kovalenko would be following in his father’s footsteps who not only played in the NHL but was an original member of the Avalanche, following the team from Quebec City. After just 26 games in Denver, Andrei Kovalenko was sent back to Quebec to play for Montreal in the deal that brought Patrick Roy to Colorado. Andrei tallied 147 points in 210 games with the Nordiques/Avalanche.
Toward the end of his NHL career, Andrei was on the Hurricanes which is why Nikolai was born in Carolina.
First 🥅 of the year for Captain Nikolai Kovalenko 🚨#GoAvsGo #Torpedo pic.twitter.com/Nvcu7ogfEw
— Nick, Quebec City (@NickQuebec) September 3, 2023
Along with scoring nearly a point a game over the past two seasons the younger Kovalenko plays a heavy game, capable of racking up hits and scrapping with opponents. With Logan O’Connor now out for the season, Kovalenko could easily slide into Colorado’s forward group, most likely he’ll start on the fourth line alongside Andrew Cogliano or Kovalenko will play along with Ross Colton and Miles Wood and bump Zach Parise down a line.
Nikolai Kovalenko out there producing points and body slamming people. I can’t wait for his Avalanche debut, he’s going to be great.pic.twitter.com/6GCyY7MRxG
— Avalanche Forever (@citchmook) November 18, 2023
The Avalanche have 14 games left in the regular season including a five-game homestand that begins on Friday. With a game on Tuesday in St. Louis and then some time off, it seemingly makes sense to get Kovalenko integrated in the coming week. Though, it’s not unusual for NHL teams to add top prospects to their team in the middle of a playoff run, that’s how Makar made his pro debut. The Avs are making a late-season push for first, tied with Winnipeg at 91 points for the lead in the central and one point back of Vancouver for the West’s top spot.
The Rockies threw a boffo welcome-back for Ryan Feltner on Saturday night, and the right-hander was the biggest party animal of all.
Coming back from an elbow injury and making his first big-league start since April 23, the right-hander celebrated by pitching six crisp, efficient innings in Colorado’s 8-3 win over the Giants at Coors Field. Feltner allowed no runs, just four hits, struck out two, and walked none. He needed just 63 pitches, throwing 41 for strikes.
“I felt great and felt like all of my pitches were working,” said Feltner, who became the first Rockies starter to pitch six scoreless innings with no walks since lefty Kyle Freeland on Sept. 5 of last season vs. San Diego.
“I was really happy about the efficiency part of the game,” Feltner added. “It’s always important to go deep into a game here (at Coors).”
Manager Warren Schaeffer said there was never any thought about pushing Feltner past six innings after Feltner made just two minor league rehab starts.
“There was no reason to push him into the seventh; he did his job,” Schaeffer said. “His fastball command was exceptional, his slider was good and he got double-play balls early when he needed to. I just thought he controlled his game very well.
“He controlled his emotions, he was in attack mode, and like we talked about before the game, when he does that, he’s pretty dang good.”
The Rockies, who beat San Francisco 8-6 on Friday night on a walk-off homer by Ezequiel Tovar, clinched their first series win since sweeping the Mets from April 24-29 in New York.
Feltner got plenty of support.
The Rockies have had a nasty habit this season of scoring early only to see the offense go into hibernation. That wasn’t the case on Saturday. The Rockies kept piling on and taking away any chance for late-game drama in LoDo.
“When a guy goes out there and grinds away, like Feltner did, you want to reward them with run,” said center fielder Jake McCarthy, who had a big night from the leadoff spot, going 3 for 4 with a walk and driving in four runs.
McCarthy’s 427-foot two-run homer in the fourth off Giants right-hander Adrian Houser gave Colorado a 4-0 lead. McCarthy added an RBI single in the fifth and another in Colorado’s three-run seventh. He also recorded his club-leading 10th stolen base and reached base four times for the eighth time in his career.
“I haven’t been patient the last week, I had a lot of pretty bad at-bats” he said. “But I think it’s just about getting good pitches to hit. … Getting into good counts, seeing pitches and taking pitcher’s pitches you can make it easier on yourself. I think I did a good job of that tonight.”
Also in the seventh, Kyle Karros came off the bench to whistle a leadoff homer to right off Ryan Borucki. It was Karros’ third homer of the season, fourth of his young career, and the first pinch-hit home run of his career. It was also his first home run against a team other than the Dodgers — his father, Eric’s, former team.
“That was becoming a thing, so it’s nice to put that narrative to rest,” Karros joked. “I think I saw somewhere where it said, ‘Are the Dodgers just feeling Karros meatballs?’ That’s certainly not the case.”
The Rockies provided an early comfort zone for Feltner by scoring two runs in the first inning. McCarthy and Hunter Goodman drew walks off Houser, Willi Castro delivered an RBI single, and Sterling Thompson took one for the team, getting plunked by Houser with the bases loaded.
Castro hit 2 for 5, recording a multi-hit game for the fifth time in his last six starts.
San Francisco spoiled a rare Rockies shutout with a two-run homer in the eighth by Drew Gilbert off reliever Blas Castano.
The Rockies (22-37) will play for their third series sweep of the season on Sunday afternoon at Coors. Should the Rockies win, they will move out of the National League West cellar and the Giants (22-36) would fall into last place.
Pitching probables
Sunday: Giants LHP Robbie Ray (3-6, 4.60 ERA) at Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (0-0, 5.85), 1:10 p.m.
Monday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-6, 8.08) at Angels RHP Jose Soriano (6-4, 2.65), 7:38 p.m.
Tuesday: Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (4-4, 4.01) at Angels RHP Grayson Rodriguez (2-1, 7.53), 7:38 p.m.
Wednesday: Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-7, 7.22) at Angels RHP Walbert Urena (2-4, 2.44), 7:38 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
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