DENVER — After being a casualty of shifting times in San Jose last season, Matt Nieto is finding the right match for his skillset with the resurgent Colorado Avalanche.
The former-Sharks forward is playing a key role in the Avalanche’s unexpected turnaround this season, performing a shutdown role on the team’s second line after getting waived by San Jose last January. Nieto will be tasked with slowing down the Timo Meier-Joe Thornton-Joe Pavelski line Thursday night as the Avalanche (24-16-3) look to extend their longest-winning streak in 12 years to eight games at home against the Sharks (24-13-6).