Sam Malinski hasn’t been an NHL player for long, but he’s already had one experience that allows him a certain perspective on his defense partner.

Samuel Girard scored his first goal of the season Tuesday night. It was a big one for the Colorado Avalanche in a 5-3 win at Seattle.

It’s been a weird start to the season for Girard, who has dealt with multiple injuries. The traditional production (goals, assists) has been slow to accumulate. Enter the wisdom of Malinski, who is only in his second full NHL season.

“Points are a weird thing,” Malinski said. “Sometimes they come and sometimes they don’t. Last year, even when I wasn’t getting points, I still felt like I was playing well at the start of the year. I think that’s what is going on with ‘G.’ I watch him play, and I think he’s playing really well. Points aren’t everything.”

Girard missed all of training camp because of an offseason injury. He did win a race against time to get back for the first game of the regular season, but was knocked out of the lineup after just two contests because of an upper-body injury.

The 27-year-old defenseman missed 15 games. He’s had to go through two different rehab processes, and get up to speed with the best team in the NHL.

“I feel like (his season) is just getting going,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “You miss all training camp and the end of your summer training, then you come back and you’re out again for another four weeks or whatever it was. I feel like his season is just getting started, so tough to evaluate it to this point.”

Girard has one goal and six points in 18 games. His per-game point total (0.33) is right in line with the past two seasons.

He’s playing less this year, at 17:03 per contest, in part because of the roster construction. Girard began the season with Brent Burns, but has settled into a spot next to Malinski at 5-on-5. The addition of Burns, but also a deeper forward group, means he doesn’t play on the second power-play unit anymore.

But there’s more to the story of how Girard is playing. The sample size is still small, particularly compared to his healthier teammates, but all of the underlying numbers are improved at 5-on-5 from the past couple of seasons.

“It’s tough when you miss a little bit of time, getting your feet back underneath you,” Avs defenseman Josh Manson said. “I think he’s been doing a good job. He’s been pretty patient with the puck and trying to make plays. Him scoring last night was really good for us.”

Girard and Malinski have the third-most minutes together as a defensive pairing at 5-on-5 this season. They were the club’s No. 3 most-used duo a year ago as well. That was with Malinski moving up to play with Girard at various points because of injuries.

This has been a different kind of season. The other five regulars on defense have all played every game. Malinski has been a breakout performer. Burns has fit in seamlessly, and his connection with Manson has helped that pair flourish.

It might not seem ideal, from the outside, to have two defensemen who are both on the smaller side paired up together, but the two Sams are making it work.

“I think our identity is just playing fast, moving pucks,” Malinski said. “We played a decent amount together last year, too, so we haven’t changed too much.

“We just have to make sure we are defending with our feet. Even though we’re undersized, we can still close plays out and break plays up with our sticks. For smaller guys, I think it’s all about body position.”

Even with a slow start for Girard and Devon Toews collecting points at a career-low rate (11 in 33 games), the Avs’ defense corps remains the most productive in the NHL. Colorado’s defense corps has combined for 104 points — 18 more than any other team.

There is still a lingering big-picture question — will the Avs try to win the Stanley Cup with one of the smallest defense corps in the NHL? The 2022 Avalanche team, with Cale Makar and Girard, is more of an exception to the rule about defense corps and size in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Avs are likely to add another defenseman before the trade deadline, even if it is just a No. 7 guy to slot in behind the six they have now. They could add someone expected to make a bigger impact, which could shake up the group as we now know it.

But as it stands right now, the Avs have three defense pairings that are all playing well. When a team has the No. 1 offense and the No. 1 defense in the NHL, it’d be hard to say otherwise.

“It’s been fine,” Bednar said of the Girard-Malinski duo. “They bring things that other pairs don’t bring. They’re elusive. They can both skate. They can both move the puck. They’re both pretty good on the offensive side of things helping us out, so where they may lock in one area they’re picking it up in another.

“Just kind of way the pairs set up for now.”

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