Steve Konowalchuk’s return for the Western Conference semifinals after his recovery from surgery to repair torn wrist ligaments gives Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville more options.
At least at the outset of the series against Anaheim, it seems veteran forwards Pierre Turgeon and Brad May, both signed to two-year contracts after the collective bargaining settlement last summer, will be healthy scratches.
Turgeon didn’t dress for Game 5 in the first round against Dallas. Before that, he had been relegated to third- and fourth-line duty and saw little ice time.
After the Game 4 loss to the Stars, the 36-year-old was philosophical, saying he was able to accept a diminished role at this stage of his career. It is possible he played his final game of the season for the Avs that night.
May was in the playoff lineup for the first time in Game 5 at Dallas, replacing Turgeon. But with Konowalchuk back, May also is likely to be watching in street clothes, at least at the outset of the second round.
Veteran defenseman Kurt Sauer, benched for the third period and overtime in Game 5 at Dallas, apparently will continue to dress and remain in the lineup, albeit with carefully rationed minutes.
Quenneville’s options as replacements for Sauer would be veteran Bob Boughner, who generally has played wing when in the lineup this season and suited up for only one game against the Stars; Jeff Finger, who didn’t play for the Avalanche in the regular season, but was summoned from Lowell of the American Hockey League as postseason insurance; and perhaps Ossi Vaananen, who suffered a fractured ankle in January and is practicing again.
Sauer was a healthy scratch most nights until Vaananen was injured against Nashville on Feb. 2.
At practice this week, Sauer said he wasn’t moping about his benching, which came after his turnover led to Bill Guerin’s goal for the Stars.
“When I get my chance, I just have to be ready,” Sauer said. “I was upset over it. I’m not going to lie. Who doesn’t think about a mistake and not want to make up for it? If you can’t do that, the boys have to do it for you. You have to be mentally tough, and you have to be ready to go out every shift. That’s all you can do.”
Konowalchuk skated at left wing in practice Wednesday on a line with center Wojtek Wol- ski and Jim Dowd. Because of his versatility, Konowalchuk adds to Quenneville’s ability to juggle, so nothing should be written in stone, or even ink.
The strange thing about that line is that the three combined for only 48 games for the Avs this regular season: Konowalchuk’s 21 until he was injured on Nov. 21; Dowd’s 18 after he was acquired from Chicago at the trading deadline; and Wolski’s nine before he was sent back to his major junior team.
If they’re together for the opener of the Western Conference semifinals, it will be their first game as a line.
That’s not a problem, Dowd said. He called Konowalchuk, who also can play center, “a fundamental hockey player. He does all the little things right. I know that from playing against him all those years. Those guys are the easiest to adjust to. He plays his position all the time and knows what to do. We’ll go out there and keep it simple and good things will happen.”
The versatile Konowalchuk’s return also strengthens the Avalanche penalty-killing unit, and Colorado had the sixth-best PK percentage in the league during the regular season, at 84.6 percent.
Terry Frei can be reached at 303-820-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com.
