In a season defined by mostly a lot of highs but also some where-did-that-come-from lows, there have been two constants for the Colorado Avalanche.
One is Nathan MacKinnon, who is in pursuit of an NHL home scoring streak record held by Wayne Gretzky that is entirely predicated on consistency. The other is a guy at the other end of the lineup and a very different stage of his career.
Andrew Cogliano is never going to be discussed among the most impactful players on the ice for the Avalanche. He’s not one of the three players who wears a letter on his uniform to denote his place among the leadership core.
But he has been one of the sport’s best “glue guys” his entire career. And he’s absolutely part of the team’s leadership group — a grizzled veteran whose presence and work ethic mean even more at a time when captain Gabe Landeskog cannot be on the ice with this team.
“He understands the importance in the structure of our game and the habits you have to play with in order to have success and have longevity with that success,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s going to make mistakes here and there, but he rarely messes up on the structure of your game and the tactical play of your game. He checks hard. His habits are really good. He’s always fighting to get above pucks. He’s always on the ‘D’ side of things.”
MacKinnon and Cogliano both had a goal and an assist Tuesday night for the Avalanche in a critical 5-1 win against the Dallas Stars. Cogliano set up Colorado’s first goal of the game, which came 68 seconds after the Stars grabbed an early 1-0 lead.
“Luckily, it was our line that was able to contribute right after a goal against,” Cogliano said. “Whenever you can do that, it’s a good thing. It’s a big response, then we get one right after with Mikko (Rantanen). (The Stars) came out pretty good. I thought they had a pretty good first period and were skating well, but I thought we did a good job of getting back in the game and taking it over.”
Cogliano led a 2-on-1 break early in the second period and snapped home a pretty goal to give the Avs a 3-1 lead, then MacKinnon followed with one to break the game open. Offensive production isn’t at the top of Cogliano’s list of responsibilities at this stage in his career, but he has had a bit of a renaissance of late.
He has six goals and 18 points this season, but seven points in his past 12 games. Two more points would give Cogliano his first year with 20-plus since 2017-18.
“I’d have to look at the stats on it, but when our fourth line produces and they chip in one goal, I’m sure our record is really good,” Bednar said. “(Tuesday night), they got two. Right out of the gate, they get us two big goals in the first half of the hockey game. They checked well, played the whole night. I thought they did an excellent job. They kind of got it started for us.”
We checked the stats. The Avs are 11-2 this season when Cogliano collects a point at even strength. He hasn’t spent the entire season on the fourth line — there were a few nights where he was pressed into third-line duty — but the point remains. Toss in his four shorthanded points, and Colorado is 14-3 when Cogliano ends up on the scoresheet.
The Avs are also 5-1 when Joel Kiviranta has a point, and 7-0-1 when either Fredrik Olofsson or Chris Wagner tallies one. There’s been plenty of shuffling in Bednar’s lineup, but Cogliano’s effort and reliability as a forechecker and penalty-killer remain a gold standard for depth players in the NHL.
“When you get a line that plays like that together, and they understand the importance of it and the detail that goes into it and the preparation that goes into that detail, they start to have success,” Bednar said. “That line is starting to come on. They had a great night. They really did.”
It’s an interesting spot in the season for Colorado’s fourth line. Wagner has, at least for now, replaced Olofsson as the center. Valeri Nichushkin is nearing a return from his NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program absence, so the Avalanche could have a full complement of healthy forwards for the first time since early in the season.
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Zach Parise has joined the team since Nichushkin left. The trade deadline is in 10 days, and Colorado could add another forward. Then there’s wild card Nikolai Kovalenko, who is having a great season in the KHL but it could be over in the next week or two and he’s expected to join the Avs afterwards.
The Avs’ forward corps could look dramatically different by the time the regular season ends, and that could mean a different look for the fourth line. Parise could be on it. Kovalenko could be on it.
Regardless of how it shakes out, the Avs know they will be able to count on Cogliano to help set the standard. Even as Cogliano nears 1,300 career games and his 37th birthday this summer, he remains a tone-setter.
“We need consistency from everyone,” Avs defenseman Devon Toews said. “That makes it easier for everyone to generate offense. When you’re able to rely on your teammates to be in the right spot in the structure of our game and making the right reads, then you get more opportunities. He’s been capitalizing, and that line was really good for us.”
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