Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Deals pair of assists
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Drouin logged two assists and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Ducks.
Drouin snapped a four-game point drought by helping out on Nathan MacKinnon's second-period tally. In the third, Drouin added another assist on a Logan O'Connor goal as the Avalanche's new-look top line carried the offense. Drouin is at three goals, five assists, 29 shots on net, 12 PIM and a plus-1 rating through 23 appearances this season. He continues to shuffle around the lineup, though he may get a longer look on the top line after this effort.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Opens scoring on power play
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Drouin scored a power-play goal on two shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Flames.
Drouin took a long-range pass from Mikko Rantanen and cut through the Flames' penalty kill to open the scoring at 6:31 of the first period. With three points over his last three games, Drouin's offense finally appears to be trending in the right direction, though it is a small sample. He's at a modest six points, 25 shots on net, 12 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 18 contests this season.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Racks up two points in win
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Drouin scored a goal on two shots and added a power-play assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Canucks.
Drouin helped out on a Valeri Nichushkin tally and then tipped in a Cale Makar shot, all in a span of 1:06 late in the first period. This effort snapped Drouin's three-game dry spell, and it was also his first multi-point effort of the season. The 28-year-old forward has two goals, five points, 22 shots on net, 10 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 16 outings this season. Given his lack of extended runs of offense, fantasy managers may not want to read too much into one productive outing, though it's encouraging Drouin is maintaining a top-six role with time on the first power-play unit.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Makes cameo on top PP unit
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Drouin had one shot on goal, one blocked shot and two penalty minutes over 13:44 of ice time in Wednesday's 8-2 win over Anaheim.
While Drouin didn't factor into the scoring Wednesday, he's done enough to be rewarded with TOI on the top power play. He replaced Ryan Johansen on that unit in the third period, which head coach Jared Bednar talked about with Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. "I think he's a guy that can play in there," the coach said. "I feel like his game's ramping up a little bit here over the last couple games. Obviously, a great playmaker. (Johansen's) been doing a nice job in there, especially off the faceoffs and distributing the puck, but it just depends on the ice time. If I see a guy going, I'd like to try and reward them a little bit, so that has something to do with it as well." Drouin got off to a shaky start this season, bouncing around the lines and being healthy scratched a couple of times, but he's having a good week, including a goal in Monday's win over the Kraken.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Gets first goal of campaign
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Drouin scored a goal, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Monday's 5-1 win over the Kraken.
Drouin has picked up a point in each of the last two games. The 28-year-old converted his first goal of the campaign by finishing off a 2-on-1 on a feed from Nathan MacKinnon. While the early returns weren't pretty, Drouin finds himself back on the top line with Artturi Lehkonen (upper body) on long-term injured reserve. Drouin has three points, 16 shots on net, six PIM and a minus-1 rating through 12 appearances.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Posts assist Saturday
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Drouin recorded an assist in Saturday's 8-2 loss to the Blues.
After he was healthy scratched Thursday, Drouin played on the top line in this blowout loss. He was able to snap a nine-game point drought, a stretch that had also seen him scratched twice in favor of AHL call-up Riley Tufte. With Artturi Lehkonen (upper body) set to miss multiple weeks, Drouin has a little more security with his playing time in the short term. The 28-year-old Drouin has two helpers, 15 shots on net, six blocked shots and a minus-3 rating through 11 outings.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Scratched Thursday
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Drouin was a healthy scratch for Thursday's game against Seattle.
Riley Tufte was called up from AHL Colorado and took shifts with the second line while Drouin watched from the press box. It's the second time in four games that Drouin was scratched, but he may resurface Saturday against the Blues. Tufte was sent back down after Thursday's game, and top-line left winger Artturi Lehkonen (upper body) was taken to a hospital following a collision with the Kraken's Jamie Oleksiak. Drouin has been given top-six minutes, including shifts on the first line with juniors teammates Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, but he hasn't unlocked the scoring touch he briefly showed with Tampa Bay in 2016. Drouin has one point (an assist) in 10 games.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Opens on top line
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Drouin had one shot on goal and three blocked shots over 11:11 of ice time in Tuesday's 6-3 win over New Jersey.
Drouin was back on the first line to start the game after serving on the second line in Saturday's shutout loss to Vegas. He was a bit unlucky when Nathan MacKinnon hit a post off Drouin's feed on an odd-man rush. By the third period, he was dropped to the second line, as head coach Jared Bednar stacked the top line with Valeri Nichushkin taking shifts with MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Drouin's TOI was also limited when he served seven minutes worth of penalties for Ross Colton, who was ejected from the game in the second period. Drouin has not produced a point in nine games after registering an Opening Night assist.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Returns to lineup
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Drouin had one shot on net, one blocked shot and one hit over 12:45 of ice time in Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Golden Knights.
Drouin was back in the active lineup following Wednesday's healthy scratch. He practiced on the top line leading up to the game, but head coach Jared Bednar deployed Drouin on the second line with Ryan Johansen and Valeri Nichushkin. Colorado has been shut out in three of the last four games, which could prompt changes to the lineup heading into Tuesday's home against New Jersey.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Practices on top line Thursday
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Drouin skated on the top line during Thursday's practice, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Drouin was a healthy scratch Wednesday against the Blues, but he could rejoin the active lineup Saturday night against Vegas while reclaiming a spot on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. That trio skated together Opening Night, but Drouin was dropped to the third line soon after. Riley Tufte, who was called up and played Wednesday in place of Drouin, has since been sent back down to AHL Colorado.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Scratched Wednesday
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Drouin was a healthy scratch Wednesday against the Blues.
Colorado head coach Jared Bednar made his first major shakeup Wednesday following two consecutive shutout losses to the Penguins and Sabres. Drouin and Tomas Tatar out; Kurtis MacDermid and Riley Tufte in. Drouin, who began the season on the top line and had an assist Opening Night, had not produced a point in seven games and had been moved to the third line. His underlying metrics have been good, such as the team's 54-percent expected goal share in five-on-five play (per Natural Stat Trick), but it hasn't resulted in real-world points for the 28-year-old forward. Given that the roster changes resulted in the Avalanche snapping a six-period scoreless run and a win, fantasy managers should expect the same lineup Saturday in a road tilt at Vegas.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Yo-yoing lines
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Drouin had two shots on net over 14:14 of ice time in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Blackhawks.
For a second straight game, Drouin opened on the first line but was moved down as the game progressed. He was dropped to the third line with Miles Wood and Ross Colton, while Tomas Tatar (two assists) skated with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. "I thought (Tatar) was really good," head coach Jared Bednar told Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. "I thought he made a lot of nice plays with MacK and Mikko. He got more involved, started using his skating, kind of seeing what he can do playing with top players. And I thought Drouin got much better too, after the switch." Drouin nearly had an assist with a laser feed to Wood, whose goal was overturned on video review. Drouin has one assist, six shots and is plus-2 while averaging 14:32 of ice time through four games. The forward also retains a spot on the second-unit power play.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Slips to second line
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Drouin recorded two shots on goal over 11:12 of ice time in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Seattle.
Drouin was dropped from the first to the second line, recorded a season-low TOI and took just four shifts (2:39) in the third period. From the regular-season opener to Tuesday, the forward's ice time dropped by more than six minutes. The seeds of less TOI were prevalent in Saturday's shootout win over the Sharks, when Drouin did not skate on the top line for the final stretch of regulation and did not play in overtime. The 28-year-old hasn't gotten much of an opportunity in the regular season to rekindle the chemistry he and Nathan MacKinnon had when the duo won a Memorial Cup for Halifax a decade ago. Drouin has one point, four shots, four PIM and is plus-2 through three games this year.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Loses TOI late
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Drouin had one shot, one hit and two PIM over 15:23 of ice time in Saturday's 2-1 shootout win over the Sharks.
Drouin once again skated on the first line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, but he wasn't on the ice when Colorado pulled the goalie late and tied the game with 1:26 left in regulation. When he needed the team's best offensive players late in regulation and overtime, coach Jared Bednar went with Cale Makar and five of the top-six forwards, excluding Drouin. Coaches adjusting on-ice deployments late in games when down a goal or in the three-on-three OT isn't unusual, but the lack of late-game ice time provided insight into where Drouin sits in the mind of Bednar. The first-line winger has one assist, two shots on goal, one hit and four PIM through two games.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Picks up assist in win
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Drouin notched an assist, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Kings.
Drouin began the campaign on the top line and initiated a passing play that led to Nathan MacKinnon scoring the opening goal at 7:25 of the first period. The two forwards were junior teammates with Halifax years ago. If that chemistry shows up again, Drouin could prove a valuable addition to fantasy rosters. The 28-year-old will also have to stay healthy -- he's played no more than 58 games in any of the last four seasons, and he hasn't scored a power-play goal since the 2019-20 campaign.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Two helpers in preseason finale
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Drouin recorded two assists in Thursday's 4-3 preseason loss to Vegas.
Drouin finished up the preseason with four assists, including three on the power play. He skated alongside Nathan MacKinnon on Thursday. The duo have a history together from their days in QMJHL Halifax, and Drouin will be given an opportunity to reunite with his junior hockey partner on Colorado's top line this season. Drouin will also have a spot on the man advantage, though it may not be on the top unit.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Opens on top line
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Drouin skated on the top line during the first day of training camp Thursday, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Drouin began his Avalanche career in a prominent role, skating with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Drouin is being given an opportunity to rekindle on-ice chemistry with MacKinnon, with whom he played a decade ago in Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The two were part of a team that won a Memorial Cup in 2013. "There's still stuff we've got to work on," Drouin said. "I know how Nate plays, but it's just the way Rantanen plays. Those two guys are very easy to play with. They're elite players in this league, and it's just fun to be on that line." Whether Drouin remains in that plush role with the two talented forwards is up to him.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Agrees to one-year deal
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Drouin inked a one-year, $825,000 contract with Colorado on Saturday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.
Drouin had two goals and 29 points in 58 contests with Montreal in 2022-23. He should have an opportunity to serve in a middle-six capacity with the Avalanche next season.
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Canadiens' Jonathan Drouin: Feeds Harris early
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Drouin logged an assist, two shots on goal and two penalty minutes over 17:24 of ice time in Monday's 4-3 shootout win over the Sabres.
Jordan Harris jumped up from the point, and Drouin set him up perfectly for the game's first goal just 1:22 into the first period. His vision and passing ability has led to 26 assists, which is the second-most on the team behind only Nick Suzuki (38), in 24 fewer contests. Drouin's in the final year of a deal that he never lived up to, so he might be on the market this offseason. Still only 28 years old, Drouin should generate interest.
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Canadiens' Jonathan Drouin: Makes amends with goal
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Drouin scored a goal on one shot over 15:36 of ice time in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Tampa Bay.
Drouin beat Andrei Vasilevskiy short side after a nice feed from Denis Gurianov to give Montreal a 2-0 lead in the first period. After watching Saturday night's game in Tampa from the bench as penance for missing a team meeting, Drouin was given ice time Tuesday and made amends with his second tally of the season. It was the fourth straight game (in which he was allowed off the bench) with a point for Drouin, who has been productive since the mid-season break with 15 points over 19 contests.
