Logan O’Connor will make his season debut with the Avalanche against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday.
The 30-year-old forward was injured in a preseason game on Sept. 21. He missed three regular-season games while rehabbing a lower-body injury. Then he left the team to be with his family after his father’s sudden passing. He was placed on long-term injured reserve during his absence.
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He will slot in on the fourth line with Parker Kelly and possibly another forward called up from the Colorado Eagles.
“Putting Parker Kelly and OC (O’Connor) and that line back together — that helps. They’re a momentum-turning line,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “They can grind teams down in the offensive zone, get a shift started your way when other lines are having trouble because of their forechecking ability, because of their work ethic, because of their detail in the offensive zone, and it can help get it started, so other lines can sort of find their footing.”
Kelly is excited to have O’Connor back in the lineup
The Calgary native missed most of last season rehabbing from an offseason hip surgery and did not return until March 24. He earned two points in 13 regular-season games and another two in 13 playoff games. Although he did not play much, he made an impact on the fourth line with Kelly.
“I got my guy coming back with me, Logan, and really excited for him to get back in the lineup. It just feels like a long time in the making. Didn’t really get to play with him at all last year, with his injuries and stuff. So to have him miss the first couple games this year was tough,” Kelly said. “I’m just really excited for him to come help me out because he’s a great player and he brings so much to this room. We all just love having him on the ice with us. We’re just over the moon to have him back in the lineup.”
What O’Connor means to Kelly’s game
Kelly has struggled with the 11 forwards and seven defensemen format to start the season. He does not think his “game’s been great” lately.
“I don’t think I’m doing anything bad to hurt the team. It’s more just a little bit mental, like ‘Hey, you’re all right. We’re 10 games in, so 74 games left. Lots of time to get your game where you want it to be,'” Kelly said. “… I’d say for me, most of it’s mental, but I do love watching it. You learn from watching your bad stuff. So the more I watch video, the more I can learn from it and move on. And just keep getting in a good headspace every game. Come to the rink and just be happy to be here. So yeah, me — 90% mental, 10% watching the video.”
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The 27-year-old forward’s chemistry with O’Connor and the stability of having him back on the fourth line will hopefully help Kelly improve his game.
“He helps me a lot. I know exactly where he’s going to be. He runs the same routes as I do. Very similar players. He talks, and he’s a veteran of the game, brings a lot of experience. He stays calm on the bench, keeps me calm. It’s very next-shift mentality when we’re together,” Kelly said about his linemate. “I’m just looking forward to trying to be more of an impact, be able to be a bit of a game changer, like I was last year. Get back to help swing momentum, get an energy shift. That’s just something that the last couple games have been tough for me to find. Get in the video room, watch my game, and now that OC is back, we can watch the video together and figure out how to get back on track.”
Getting the duo back together may help boost the team after back-to-back losses, whether it’s 12 and six or 11 and seven.
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