Avalanche coach Jared Bednar scratched a great deal of grit and size to his lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs. His moves proved prescient in a 7-2 blowout win over Nashville on Tuesday night at Ball Arena.
Heavyweight enforcer Kurtis MacDermid, who can play forward or defense, watched in street clothes along with shutdown defenseman Jack Johnson and forward Logan O’Connor.
Might Bednar add toughness to his lineup for Game 2 or beyond in this series?
“Yep. Absolutely,” he said.
The question was important because Game 1 became chippy after Colorado took a 5-0 lead in the first period.