Avalanche's Big Win Over Devils Comes With Josh Manson Injury Concern

Head coach Jared Bednar has not been happy with his team’s effort and hasn’t hesitated to talk about it. The Colorado Avalanche seemed to respond on Wednesday evening against the New Jersey Devils.

The effort yielded a 5-2 victory at Ball Arena, but it also potentially came with a high cost.

Veteran defenseman Josh Manson suffered a lower-body injury during the first period and did not return. In a post game interview, no specifics were said but Bednar did say he was told the injury would cause Manson to be out for some time.

When asked about Manson, Bednar kept the response short and to the point, “lower body, he’s gonna miss some time.”

Clearly, this is a disappointment to the team. Injuries have made it difficult to get consistency on the lines so far this season.

Wednesday’s victory was a move in the right direction, but Bednar also pointed out that they played Iike a rested team and he expected that effort. The real challenge will be ahead when they have another back-to-back.

That will happen on November 2 and 3 when the Avs will take on the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets during a road trip.

For now, Colorado will get a few more days rest before they face the Calgary Flames at Ball Arena on October 31.

Josh Manson Injury Raises More Questions

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (42) and Minnesota Wild center Yakov Trenin (13) Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Manson took an awkward fall near the boards late in the first period. The 35-year-old appeared to be in considerable discomfort and even needed assistance getting off the ice and down the tunnel.

This is not good news for the Avalanche.

No specific diagnosis or return timeline has been released as of yet, but one thing is clear. Replacing Manson’s role on the team is not going to be easy.

He is a physical defensemen and provides a strong veteran presence on the blue line. He makes difficult defensive assignments look easy and how he contributes on the penalty kill make him very important to this lineup.

Bednar is going to have to continue to shift things around and find ways to win with players still on the injured list.

Bednar had just rearranged the lines in hopes of getting better effort and results from the team. Manson had been moved onto the second defensive pairing beside Brett Kulak.

Now the puzzle pieces have to be shifted again.

It is possible that Noah Juulsen could be an option. He was a healthy scratch against New Jersey.

When Manson went down, Sam Malinski picked up more minutes. He was on the ice for more than 21 minutes while recording two assists and finished the evening with a plus-three rating.

Avalanche Deliver Much Needed Response

Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There’s no way around it, the Avalanche haven’t been playing up to expectations. Jared Bednar spoke about it, and issued what could have been considered a warning to his team.

Colorado was coming off an embarrassing loss to the Nashville Predators and it was very clear Bednar expected better.

Wednesday, he may have gotten the response he was looking for. The Avalanche outshot New Jersey 44-22 and scored four goals in the third period. The Devils were riding a four-game winning streak coming into the game.

Several of the expected stars produced, but it was a good overall effort across the lineup. Gabriel Landeskog scored on a power play. Nazem Kadri gave the team the lead in the third.

Parker Kelly added another goal just 62 seconds later. Nathan MacKinnon and Jaden Schwartz also added to the effort.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves on the night.

The win improved Colorado’s record to 7-5-1.

Just when it seemed that things might be coming together, the injury is going to require more shifting on the lineup.

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