Avs: Sam Girard has emerged as key cog

Avalanche defenseman Sam Girard, left, tries to move the puck past the Canucks' Michael Del Zotto during the first period of a Feb. 26 game in Denver. (Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post)

DENVER — Sam Girard's playoff beard won't be coming in anytime soon. He's 19, and looks like he's 15. The Avalanche rookie defenseman only plays hockey like a man.

"Sometimes you forget he's only 19. It's crazy the way he can skate, move the puck, his poise with the puck," Avs coach Jared Bednar said.

Girard — the current key piece in the Nov. 5 three-team trade that sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa — technically was acquired from Nashville, along with rookie forward Vladislav Kamenev and a second-round draft…