In Sunday's 2026 preseason opener, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-1.
1.Head coach Jared Bednar had mentioned on Saturday that the roster would be a mostly veteran group. Given that preseason has been dwindled down to four games, and with many veterans preferring not to travel, it made sense to let them play in the opener instead.
That means we saw a complete second and third line, at least in its current form, along with both of the top-line wingers. Beckett Hamilton centered the first line, allowing Nathan MacKinnon to sit this one out (I'd imagine he only plays one preseason game). The fourth line was made up entirely of bubble players who might be on the brink of cracking the roster, or getting one of the first call-ups if an injury occurs.
Here's the full lineup.
I like Hamilton still getting a preseason game even though time is limited. Gives MacKinnon the day off and allows Bednar to see what he has with his second and third lines pic.twitter.com/s5o4y8r1JG— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) September 20, 2026
2.Kudos to Hamilton for getting on the scoresheet. He was in the right place at the right time after Martin Necas made a nice play to intercept the pass near the goal.
Gavin Brindley looked solid on that line with Gabe Landeskog and Nazem Kadri and definitely earned himself some good graces for his strong play.
He was moving well throughout the early parts of the game and started the play that led to the give-and-go with Kadri to make it 2-1. In total, he finished with a goal, assist, and two shots in 15:43, having also set up the Taylor Makar goal late in the third.
He looks a lot like the Brindley we saw early last season, the guy who fights for the puck every time he's out there. It's great to see, but he's got to be more consistent and hold this level of play for longer stretches to be an NHL regular on this team. That's the task he has ahead of him.
I also liked seeing Bednar give Brindley some time on the penalty kill. That could be another way to increase his usage and effectiveness. Brindley played just 2:54 on the PK last season, which isn't much at all in 56 games.
Makar also got a shoutout from Bednar for his play. His goal was a result of his relentlessness.
"I noticed Brinds right away. The competitiveness, the speed of the game, his skating, he's quick all over the ice," Bednar said. "He was relentless on pucks. I put Taylor Makar in that same category."
As for T.J. Hughes , nothing jumped out all that much, positively or negatively, during this game. This isn't uncommon for the opening preseason game, but I do wonder how the coaching staff adjusts to not having as many games as usual to see what they have.
The best stretches of hockey from Hughes were on the power play where he was playing the left circle and showed flashes of that high IQ hockey that made him successful at Michigan. Hughes finished with an assist in 18:22 of ice time, including 4:49 on the PP.
3. Mackenzie Blackwood looked excellent in the limited action he saw. Blackwood faced seven shots and stopped every single one in the 29 or so minutes he played. His save on Lawson Crouse during the first Mammoth power play was a thing of beauty. He was in midseason form, kicking from left to right to beat the pass.
4.Ilya Nabokov replaced Blackwood with 10:30 remaining in the second period. He stopped 16-of-17 the rest of the way, including some nice post-to-post saves of his own. Overall, he was very good and earned praise postgame from Bednar.
In the short time I've come to know Nabokov, I find that he shares a lot of the same traits as both Scott Wedgewood and Blackwood. He's very loose, has a great personality, and enjoys his time around the rink. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who gets phased by the moment.
On the ice, he's got a lot of Wedgewood in him, where he'll battle and do anything he can to find and cover a loose puck. I'm a big fan of this player and look forward to seeing his continued development.
5.Bednar said Monday's game in Winnipeg will have a similar setup in goal. Scott Wedgewood will get the nod, with Nabokov coming in around the halfway mark.
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