Prior to Avalanche practice getting underway Friday, the two hottest goal scorers on the team went off on their own to get some work in together.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m of course talking about Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 50 goals, and Parker Kelly.<\/p>\n
Yes, Parker Kelly.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old Alberta native is on the brink of his first career 20-goal season at the NHL level, and with four goals in his last five games, he\u2019s red hot. Kelly is the fifth leading goal-scorer on the team, having shattered his career high of eight goals months ago.<\/p>\n
Ahead of practice, Kelly and MacKinnon worked in the neutral zone on some small-area drills that MacKinnon uses to stay sharp. The NHL\u2019s leading goal scorer told The Denver Gazette last season that a lot of these drills come from Hall of Famer Adam Oates, who MacKinnon started working with a few years back.<\/a><\/p>\n He doesn\u2019t just do these drills by himself. The way they\u2019re designed, he can\u2019t. He makes sure to include his teammates, with Kelly getting more involved this season.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s kind of (MacKinnon\u2019s) style. I think it\u2019s more focused on trying to get you to slow down and really focus on technique,\u201d Kelly told The Denver Gazette. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to follow along. He works on touches, gets you a good feel with the puck.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelly has felt good with the puck on his stick all season long, and now his role looks like it\u2019s going to increase because of it.<\/p>\n At Friday\u2019s practice, Kelly (and Joel Kiviranta) moved up to the third line, skating with Nazem Kadri. That\u2019s a trio we\u2019ll likely see Saturday when the Avalanche play the Dallas Stars. With Avalanche coach Jared Bednar still looking to figure out what his third line is going to be heading into the postseason, he can no longer overlook what Kelly is doing offensively.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lines are the way they are today because of the emergence of Parker Kelly and his offense and what he\u2019s doing. I can\u2019t ignore it. He\u2019s scoring as much as the second-line players on our team,\u201d Bednar said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s highly unlikely the Avalanche thought they were getting a potential 20-goal scorer when they signed Kelly to a two-year contract last summer. The other traits of his game were what the Avalanche were attracted to.<\/p>\n The added offense has been a nice bonus.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew when we first got (Kelly) that summer that we were getting a ratty player that was going to fit,\u201d General Manager Chris MacFarland said early this week at the HALO Meetings and Conference the Avalanche hosted. \u201cWere we thinking this might be a 20-goal scorer? I would say probably not, but if he can find a way to be in that 15-18 range year-after-year with what he does, there\u2019s a really valuable player in there for what we\u2019re paying.\u201d<\/p>\n The Avalanche deserve credit for what Kelly is doing offensively. Granted, his 20% shooting percentage is unlikely to be sustained throughout the four-year extension he signed this past summer, but they\u2019ve been pushing him not just to be someone satisfied with being a role player. They want him to try and make plays as opposed to dumping the puck in every time he gets it in the neutral zone.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s paying off.<\/p>\n \u201c(I\u2019m) playing with great linemates, working with (MacKinnon), trying to get a feel for the puck that I\u2019ve never really had before,\u201d Kelly said. \u201c(I\u2019m) just trying to see plays. I was such a guy to just dump it in and go forecheck and get it. Now I\u2019m trying to, if there\u2019s a play there, to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting to work with arguably the best player in the world in a one-on-one situation doesn\u2019t hurt. Is MacKinnon an intense guy who demands a lot from his teammates? Absolutely.<\/p>\n But the MacKinnon that the outside world thinks they know is not who he actually is.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a great teammate,\u201d Kelly said. \u201c(He) allows guys to come work with him, shares his knowledge a bunch, especially with me. He\u2019s helped a lot with my offensive game, probably more than the outside public would see. It\u2019s always good little pointers that I would have never thought of before with myself. Great leader, great teammate, and there\u2019s a reason he\u2019s the best in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The Avalanche will look to Kelly to provide his usual spark Saturday when they face the Stars (1 p.m., ABC). While the odds of Dallas catching the Avalanche are slim, a win by Colorado on Saturday would all but clinch the division. They\u2019ll have to do that without Cale Makar and Nicolas Roy, who will not dress in either of Colorado\u2019s games this weekend.<\/p>\n
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