The Colorado Avalanche fell in their fourth preseason game, this time to the Dallas Stars, by a score of 3-1. Neither team created a ton of offense, as the stars for both teams were in the press box watching with the rest of the fans.

What did we learn from the Avs fourth preseason game?

  1. Nikita Zadorov, playing his first game after offseason shoulder surgery, wanted everyone to know that he’s physically ready to go. On one of his first shifts of the night, he broke up an odd man rush and then went to the other end and hammered a Stars forward into the boards. He’s a big part of the Avs blueline, and appears to be healthy heading into the year.
  2. If Vladislav Kamenev makes the Avalanche roster, he may be somewhat of a special teams specialist. He showed his versatility tonight, playing on both the penalty kill and power play, and showing well on both units. He assisted on Ty Lewis’ opening goal, and was not afraid to shoot the puck on the power play from the half wall. Carving out a role on the team may separate him from the competition.
  3. Tyson Jost came out flying out of the gates, with an end to end rush on his opening shift. He took a big open ice hit later in the first but bounced back up and even took a whack at the Stars player who hit him. It was a much better showing for Jost in his second preseason game.
  4. Martin Kaut made a nice play on the opening goal for the Avs, showing patience after a zone entry and ended up picking a secondary assist up. His ice time dropped dramatically as the game went on, which is something to keep an eye on. It’s possible the team is taking it easy given the heart condition he was diagnosed with prior to the draft in June.
  5. The Avs need to get down close to their opening night roster. They’ve played mostly young guys in these preseason games and the vets need to shake off the rust before opening night gets here. Coach Bednar said after the game that they will make cuts, to the point where they will be down to one group in practice.