LOS ANGELES — Through four Avalanche games, Matt Duchene’s stats stand out.
The seventh-year center doesn’t have a point.
He will be back between Mikko Rantanen and Jarome Iginla as the 2-2 Avalanche attempts to sweep its two-game Southern California road trip Sunday night against the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.
The 18-year-old Rantanen, moved to that line early in the 3-0 win over Anaheim on Friday, also doesn’t have a point.
Iginla — who is 38, making the average age of Duchene’s linemates 28 — has two power-play goals.
“I’m happy with my last game,” Duchene said after the Avalanche’s Saturday practice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. “I was making plays, getting chances, and was solid defensively, so that’s all I can really do.”
He said of his slow start: “You have to work to get out of it, but if this was the middle of the year and I went four games, it wouldn’t be as big a deal. It’s not like we’re not getting chances, it’s not like things aren’t getting generated out there. It’s just not going in yet. I just have to stick with it. … I’d rather get it out of the way now than later.”
Duchene also is a minus-4.
“The plus-minus doesn’t look good right now, but that’s because we haven’t scored any goals,” he said. “We score a few goals, we’re probably even or close to it. In game one (against Minnesota), we had some tough breaks, but since then it’s been solid.”
Avalanche coach Patrick Roy cautioned against overreacting.
“Dutchy is an important part of our team and we’d like to see him producing,” Roy said. “But at the same time, he’s playing well defensively. At the same time, while he’s not producing, we think he’s doing a lot of good things on the ice.
“He’s not the only one. I looked at Anaheim last night — (Ryan) Getzlaf, (Corey) Perry don’t have points so far this season, either. You’re best players always normally need to be your best players if you want to have success, and I am confident things will turn around for Dutchy.”
Duchene’s high-water marks in his six previous seasons were 27 goals in 2010-11 and 70 points in 2013-14, Roy’s first season behind the bench. Although he was among the forwards selected in fan voting for the team’s 20th anniversary team — results were announced Saturday — Duchene hasn’t broken through to the superstar status expected of him when he was the third overall pick in the 2009 draft. He also hasn’t had that one “monster” season.
“It’s four games in,” he said. “It’s not like it can’t happen.”
Footnotes. After practice, defenseman Tyson Barrie went through a long-distance hearing with the NHL for his unpenalized leaping hit on Anaheim’s Simon Despres in the corner during the second period Friday. Despres left the bench shortly after that with an “upper body” injury. The NHL announced late Saturday that it had suspended Barrie for three games for the hit. … The Avs’ 20th anniversary team will be honored Dec. 7 at the home game against Minnesota. The forwards selected: Duchene, Valeri Kamensky, Adam Deadmarsh, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Claude Lemieux, Milan Hejduk, Stephane Yelle, Paul Stastny, Chris Drury, Alex Tanguay, Gabe Landeskog. Defensemen: Rob Blake, John-Michael Liles, Erik Johnson, Sandis Ozolinsh, Adam Foote, Ray Bourque. Goalies: Roy, Semyon Varlamov.
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or @TFrei
COLORADO AT LOS ANGELES 8 p.m., ALT, 950 AM
Spotlight on Nick Shore:
The Denver native and former University of Denver Pioneer seems to have become entrenched in the NHL after dividing time between the Kings and the AHL last season. The 23-year-old center has one goal through the first four games. He had Los Angeles’ only goal in a 5-1 loss to San Jose on the Kings’ opening night.
NOTEBOOK
Avalanche:
It was no surprise, but Avs coach Patrick Roy said Reto Berra, who had a 35-save shutout against Anaheim on Friday, would get his second consecutive start against the Kings. “Last year, he finished with a shutout, he had a good game (Friday) and he deserves to play,” Roy said after the Avalanche’s Saturday afternoon practice at the Kings’ practice facility in El Segundo. “I explained the situation to (Semyon Varlamov), and he understands. Hey, it’s a business about winning, and right now, Reto is playing really well.”
Kings:
After an 0-3 start, Los Angeles finally got its first win Friday, getting an Anze Kopitar goal in overtime to knock off the Wild 2-1 at the Staples Center. … But this still isn’t exactly a team on a roll. The Kings have been outscored 13-4 in the first four games … That was Kopitar’s first goal of the season … Given Anaheim’s struggles too, it’s as if there’s a hockey malaise going around in Southern California.
