The Colorado Avalanche lost to Utah in their sixth and final preseason game by a score of 2-1. Here are the game’s Studs & Duds.

Studs

Nikolai Kovalenko

The Tank rolls on as Kovalenko had another strong outing. His forechecking acumen is what is driving the majority of his success right now. There’s a little playmaking ability that is jumping off the ice and giving the Avs the hope that he could help in the top nine a bit to start the year.

I like all of those things, but it’s that physicality and tryhard that appeals the most to me at the moment. He once again played hard and made his bones by being a nuisance to Utah puck carriers.

Trying to predict what the Avs are up to on this roster is always tricky territory, but this guy has to be on the roster in my opinion. He has outplayed everyone in contention for jobs, from Cal Ritchie to Ivan Ivan to Chris Wagner and even Joel Kiviranta. He’s been better than all of them and should have a spot on the ice next week for opening night.

Ivan Ivan

This guy just will not quit. I’ve spent the last year heaping praise on the young Czech forward and he continues to justify the attached hope. He’s been nothing short of excellent this preseason.

His hockey IQ is awesome to watch. When he gets the puck, he already knows what he’s doing with it. He can play at NHL pace. I’m not sold on his skill level yet, but he’s always a step ahead of the game action and that allows him to max out his physical abilities.

He was given a look at center tonight and I thought he flourished. He scored Colorado’s only goal and had two other excellent scoring chances. Every time he’s on the ice, he’s causing headaches for the opposing team.

The only knock here is that he took another penalty, which has been an issue for him this preseason. We have seen that isn’t a disqualifying quality in previous years (remembering the four-penalty game by Sampo Ranta in the final preseason game).

The Avs are in a strange roster spot right now. They released Pierre-Edouard Bellemare from his PTO and placed T.J. Tynan and Chris Wagner on waivers, removing three options for the fourth-line center job. That pretty much has left Ivan and Parker Kelly battling for that job, but there is a feeling something is coming because the team’s claim of defenseman John Ludvig from the waiver wire leaves them with nine defenders right now.

Anyway, until the team actually makes a final decision on this roster battle, Ivan has to continue being considered. The only player battling for a job that he has not outplayed is Kovalenko.

Parker Kelly

Speaking of that fourth-line center job, Kelly continues to impress me quite a bit. I liked the signing when it happened, but the move of him to center is not something I’m fully sold on just yet.

That said, the qualities that define his game are showing up consistently. He’s a worker from start to finish. The puck skills aren’t there for him to be a big difference-maker on the offensive side of the game, but his willingness to put on his hard hat and go to work every single shift is an excellent quality to have for a bottom-of-the-lineup player.

We’ll see about this center thing, but if that experiment ends and he moves back to wing, Kelly is set to be a strong addition to this lineup.

Duds

Waiting for the regular season

The Avs open their season on Wednesday and then don’t play again until next Saturday. Tonight’s game got me fully ready for real Avalanche hockey again and I’m annoyed we have to sit around and keep talking about roster spots for the next few days.

That second pairing

Both Sam Girard and Josh Manson made great plays during this game, but I have to nitpick a ‘Dud’ somewhere, so I’ll take this pairing.

They weren’t consistently poor by any means, but each made mistakes on the penalty kill that were frustrating. Girard’s was especially onerous as his failure to clear a puck that 100% should have been out of the zone turned into the game-winning goal a few seconds later.

That’s just not something you want to see from Girard. Manson also got caught puck-watching a bit too much on the PK and instead of working over the guys in front of the net, was witness to the scene unfolding. Lackluster work from both on that unit.

Unsung Hero

Easily easily easily easily it this woman.

That is her prosthetic leg she is holding in the air just a few moments after chugging a beer from it. That absolutely rules.