All the Avs want for the holidays is Nathan MacKinnon back in the lineup.
Their wish probably won’t come true at least until the new year. So how does coach Jared Bednar formulate an interim top-forward line?
The initial solution after MacKinnon’s upper-body injury in Philadelphia was to move right winger Mikko Rantanen to center. That experiment lasted five games, with a smorgasbord of skaters beside him. The return of left wing Artturi Lehkonen from his own injury certainly helped form a complete picture.
But Bednar made a change in Colorado’s 3-1 win over the Predators on Saturday night.