Avalanche Have a New Defensive Question After Sam Malinski's Breakout Performance

DENVER — Sam Malinski didn't need a major change to get his game back on track.

He just needed to get back to doing some of the things that made him successful in the first place. Against the New Jersey Devils, the Avalanche defenseman looked more like the player Colorado saw last season, and his head coach certainly noticed.

Malinski turned in what Jared Bednar called easily his best game of the season, taking advantage of a defensive pairing adjustment that put him alongside veteran Brent Burns.

The move came after Bednar admitted he wasn't particularly happy with how Malinski had been playing recently. He also wasn't loving what he had seen from the Josh Manson-Burns pairing over the previous few games.

"I wasn't loving his game. And I wasn't loving the last couple games of Manson and Burns together either," Bednar said.

The idea was to give Manson a more defined shutdown role against New Jersey's top six while allowing Malinski and Burns to work together. Bednar believed the two could complement each other, with Burns bringing plenty of communication and experience while Malinski used his skating to help drive play.

"Burns, he tends to talk a lot on the ice, and you hear them, and I think that Sam can use a little bit of that to help his confidence," he explained. "And Burnsey can use Sam's legs."

Malinski looked comfortable in the new combination, getting involved offensively and showing more willingness to put pucks toward the net. That's something he acknowledged had been missing from his game at times this season.

Speaking with The Denver Post's Corey Masisak, Malinski explained that his expectations coming off last season may have played a part in how he's approached the start of this year.

"I think last year I just raised expectations for my game, and this year I think maybe just been a little quiet at times," Malinski said. "And I think last night was just kind of a game where I was able to find some of those old habits and just play a little bit more aggressive than I have been to start the season. When I say aggressive, I mainly mean on offense, shooting pucks and stuff like that."

That willingness to shoot and get involved offensively was noticeable against New Jersey. Malinski finished with two assists, including a shot that led to Jaden Schwartz's third-period goal, and was active throughout the night.

For a player who has shown plenty of offensive upside, getting back to that more aggressive approach could be important moving forward.

Unfortunately, Colorado's defensive plans took another hit when Manson left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury. Bednar confirmed after the game that Manson would miss some time, leaving another hole on the blue line just as the coaching staff appeared to find a combination it liked.

The Burns-Malinski pairing got off to a promising start, but Colorado could now be forced to reshuffle its second and third defensive pairings. Depending on the severity and length of Manson's absence, Keaton Middleton or Alex Gagne could be candidates for a call-up from the Colorado Eagles.

For now, the Avalanche will have to wait for more information on Manson. But Malinski's performance was an encouraging development, especially for a defenseman who seems to have found a little bit of his old confidence again.

Colorado will look to carry that momentum into Halloween night when the Calgary Flames visit Ball Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT.