TORONTO — Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen are the only Avalanche forwards to have avoided fourth-line duty this season after Carl Soderberg was banished there Sunday at Air Canada Center.
Soderberg centered the fourth line with wingers Cody McLeod and Andreas Martinsen against Toronto. He was averaging 16:27 in ice time, fifth among forwards, but logged 11:16 against the Leafs.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar, who has the NHL’s second-lowest scoring team (2.19 goals-per game), has tried virtually every line combination to try and get his offense going.
Soderberg, 31, entered Sunday’s game tied for eighth in team scoring with eight points (four goals) in 26 games. He amassed a career-high 51 points last season, his first with Colorado, but hasn’t been as productive this season, along with most of his teammates. He is under contract through the next three seasons, at a $4.75 million cap hit.
Bench mark. Jarome Iginla, in his 1,500th game Saturday at Montreal, played a season-low 11:47 in the 10-1 loss. He started the game alongside MacKinnon but almost immediately was switched to the fourth line. He did not play in the closing minutes of the game after taking roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties at 16:32 of the third period. Iginla, 16, became the 16th player all time to play in 1,500 NHL regular-season games.
Iginla was moved to the third line Sunday against the Leafs and assisted on Rantanen’s power-play goal.
Footnotes. Toronto center Tyler Bozak played 60 games for the University of Denver from 2007-09 and made his NHL debut against the Avalanche on Oct. 13, 2009, scoring his first NHL goal. A year ago in Denver, Bozak produced his second career hat trick against Colorado. He leads all Maple Leafs with six goals, seven assists and 13 points against the Avs…Leafs forward Ben Smith played four games for the Avalanche in October before being picked up on waivers by Toronto. He entered Sunday with two goals and three points in 24 games with the Leafs.
