Friday Feels: Sammy Time

The Feels is back with a lot of love for Sam Malinski

Wow, been a while since we got a Friday Feels on the site, hasn’t it? That’s a direct quote from outgoing managing editor Evan Liu, subtly telling me he’s disappointed. And hey, I’m truly sorry I’ve been MIA on the writing front – but life is busy, and I give my all to the podcast. So please forgive.

I haven’t written one of these since before the Four Nations tournament, the trade deadline, my engagement to my now fiancée, two short film premieres, roughly a million sketch and improv shows, and so much more that kept me away. But you don’t care about my life, you care about the Avalanche – let’s dive in.

Sam Malinski is playing so incredibly well right now, I love him more than my fiancée (I just like saying that word, I’ll stop.) (Also don’t tell her I said that). He’s not only contributing how we’ve come to expect – high end first passes and great skating through the neutral zone to generate rush chances from the back end – he’s also defending at a very high level, and chipping in points at the other end while doing it. Gone are the days where it seemed like he could only dial in his game at one end of the ice or the other – Sammy Jr. has leveled up!

And it couldn’t have come at a better time for Colorado with Josh Manson banged up again, and now Sammy Sr. Girard on the shelf as well. Malinski has been pressed into more minutes and risen to the occasion, slotting into the lineup alongside Ryan Lindgren and helping to cover up some of Lindgren’s rough edges in puck possession while excelling in his own right.

In last night’s beatdown of the Ottawa Senators, Malinski set up Brock Nelson’s first career Avalanche goal with a nifty assist on the rush while skating the most minutes of any Avalanche player at even strength. In the stupid loss to Toronto the night before (curse you Kelly Sutherland!), he tilted the ice in Colorado’s favor to the tune of a 9-3 Shots on goal differential, 60% Corsi For, and 62% Expected Goals For. Granted the team has to actually score for that to matter, but still good.

Those two games continue a trend for Malinski since the trade deadline, where even though he was scratched a few times to give Erik Johnson some ice time before Manson’s injury, both metrics and the eye test show a guy making a positive impact every time he touches the ice. His worst night by the metrics in that stretch was the Dallas game, but on a night when his possession numbers lagged he contributed three shots, an assist, and wasn’t on the ice for a goal against. If that’s your floor, you’re a quality NHL defender.

With a fully healthy defense group, Malinski’s play should lock him in to the third pair right D spot, though EJ will likely continue to get some games there as well. Manson will miss a few weeks, however, and while he’s gone I’m very comfortable with Malinski getting second pair minutes if he can keep playing this well.

FRIDAY FEELS

Did I mention I got engaged? I did? Ok, well, let’s do Rings for things I’d like to marry and Dings for things that need a little tune up.

RING: Gabe Landeskog Skating at Practice

I mean, It’s happening, right?!?! He’s coming back?!!?! He’s travelling with the team now, and I’m melting at home – this is honestly incredible, one of the best stories in all of sports this year AND it’s happening to a guy we’re emotionally invested in. How can anything get a bigger ring than Gabe?? It can’t.

And look, I know there’s a chance he can’t stay in the lineup after he gives it a go. I don’t care – if I can get one shift of Gabriel Landeskog in 2025 I can go into my marriage knowing miracles can happen and good things come to those we love. If he doesn’t play, I guess the wedding’s off (don’t tell my fiancée I said that either).

DING: Nathan Mackinnon on the Wing

Over the last couple games Coach Jared Bednar has experimented with a Nichushkin – Nelson – MacKinnon line combo and I frankly hate it. I don’t mind throwing that trio out for an offensive zone faceoff or just to get a spark for a shift here or there, but as a fixture of a gameplan I don’t get it. The cascading effect on the rest of the lineup is not good – it forces Charlie Coyle up to 2C, Jack Drury up to 3C, and shifts Parker Kelly from 4LW (where he’s looked AWESOME by the way) to 4C. All of those guys are then playing slightly over their heads and for what? To give Nelson a play driving right wing? Martin Necas is sitting right there on the bench for that!

I’m not surprised the game where they put Necas on Nelson’s wing and moved MacKinnon back to centering Jonathan Drouin and Nuke they put up 4 goals in the first period. That’s a top six deployment you dream about. Stick with that, Coach!

RING: Scott Wedgewood

Just him. He’s good. So very very good.

That ROCKED! And he has a huge save like that one every game he’s played lately. Mackenzie Blackwood is obviously the starter, I’m not trying to spark a goalie controversy here, but in spot starts as a backup Wedgewood has been awesome and I’d marry him for it.

DING: Kelly Sutherland

I mean, we have to laugh at this because it’s stupid and funny but also I hate it.

Predictions

I took too much time off to keep my running tally alive, so let’s forget the past and just focus on next week’s games. I might have to predict wins every night at this point because the team is so effing good right now – defensively, they’ve given up almost nothing to some very good teams lately while outpossessing and outchancing almost everyone they’ve played – so I’ll get more specific to spice things up:

Saturday @ Montreal: 4-2 W, points from Brock Nelson and Sam Malinski
Tuesday vs Detroit: 3-1 W, at least one Ryan Lindgren assist
Thursday vs Los Angeles: 5-4 W, goals from Joel Kiviranta and Ross Colton