ST. LOUIS — The Avalanche’s Tyson Barrie, a high-risk, high-reward offensive defenseman, played a season-low 16 minutes, 26 seconds in Monday’s 4-3 victory at Nashville. The 24-year-old wasn’t in the doghouse and finished with a plus-2 rating. But the Avs had just one power play, and Barrie is becoming more of an offensive specialist.
The plan is to give 2013 draft picks Chris Bigras, 21, and Nikita Zadorov, 20, more playing time, and they partnered with veterans Erik Johnson and Francois Beauchemin, respectively, in the top-two pairings against the Predators. The same pairings were used Tuesday against the Blues in St. Louis.
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Barrie and partner Nick Holden — previously the second pairing — are getting fewer minutes at even strength.
“We want him to play his role — his role is an offensive role,” Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said of Barrie before Tuesday’s game at the Scottrade Center. “He’s an important piece of our team, power-play-wise. We feel like if he doesn’t have to defend (as much) and play as many big minutes, he’d be more fresh for the moments in the game that are extremely important.”
Z on board. Zadorov began his third stint of the season with the Avs on Monday. He began the season with the big club before being sent to the minors in November. He was recalled in January and played five games.
Roy says the big Russian continues to develop.
“We want more maturity in his game. We want him to compete from the start of the shift to the end of the shift,” Roy said. “I thought he was inconsistent (in two previous stints). We wanted him to play those big minutes in the minors, and I believe he has benefited.”
Big challenge. The Blues entered Tuesday fully rested, not having played since producing its franchise-record fourth consecutive shutout Saturday at Washington, which has clinched the President’s Cup as the NHL team with the most points. St. Louis won 4-0.
The Avs, of course, played Monday in Nashville.
“Everybody has times in the year, the schedule, where the other team is waiting. Tonight, it’s them,” Roy said before the game. “Let’s not find excuses. Let’s play the game.”
Footnotes. Roy said injured center Nathan MacKinnon might skate Wednesday to test his injured knee. Fellow center Matt Duchene, who is also out with a knee injury, resumed skating Sunday. … Defensemen Zach Redmond and Andrew Bodnarchuk were again Colorado’s healthy scratches.
