Morning Skate Report: Zadorov Returns to Game Action

TORONTO--Nikita Zadorov's injection back into the Colorado Avalanche's lineup might be what the club needs to get back in the win column.
Zadorov will be back on defense for this evening's contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs after missing the previous 10 games with a lower-body injury.
"My goal is to help my team win some hockey games. That's it," Zadorov said to ColoradoAvalanche.com following the Avs' morning skate at Scotiabank Arena. "It's obviously exciting to get back on the ice and play hockey games.

"We're kind of in a slump right now, and we have to come together and get out of it."
Zadorov will likely be paired on the backend with Mark Barberio, who is expected to play in his second consecutive game after missing 19 contests his own injury (upper body). Ryan Graves had previously been in that spot but will not dress tonight, along with Gabriel Bourque and Patrik Nemeth.
The Avalanche has lost the first thee games of its season-long, five-city road trip and aims to dig its way out of the slump against a Leafs squad that has also been a bit inconsistent recently. Toronto has lost four of the past five games at home and are 2-4-0 in its last six overall.
Colorado wraps up its Canadian swing on Wednesday at the Ottawa Senators.
"It's just seems like it has been one hole or another that we're trying to fill," said captain Gabriel Landeskog of the Avs' recent stretch. "Whether it has been the power play one night, penalty kill the other night, we haven't seemed to be able to put a game together and find ways to win. It's been frustrating, but we're still in a playoff spot. We got to make sure that we realize it's 'go time' right now and really start cranking it up here the last two games of the road trip."
Zadorov should be able to help the Avalanche do that.
At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, the Russian rear guard is known for his bruising style as he leads the team with 96 hits this year. He also has five points (three goals, two assists) in 34 contests, with his three goals on the campaign ranking second among Avs defensemen.
Zadorov last played on Dec. 19 versus the Montreal Canadiens, and although his initial prognosis was for him to only miss two games, he has been out for more than three weeks.
The blueliner began the road trip back in Denver, skating on his own with Colorado's trainers before joining the rest of the club for Saturday's morning skate in Montreal. Monday marked the third time he was a full participant at practice since getting hurt.
"It's always tough when you're teammates are playing and you cannot," Zadorov said. "It doesn't matter if they're winning or losing. It's always tough on you because you want to be out there and help them, but you're not."
Other than the addition of Zadorov, Bednar said he won't make any other changes to the Avalanche's lineup.

VIEW: Avalanche Projected Lineup at Maple Leafs

NEMETH FEELING BETTER

After missing Saturday's contest in Montreal due to an illness, defenseman Patrik Nemeth joined the squad for morning skate in Toronto.
It was the first time that Nemeth had skated since Wednesday's outing at the Calgary Flames.
Nemeth won't suit up again tonight, marking just the sixth game this season that he hasn't played in. The blueliner has five points (one goal, four assists), 35 penalty minutes and a plus-3 rating in 39 contests this year.

MORNING QUOTEABLES

Here is what some of the Avalanche players and coach Jared Bednar had to say following the team's morning skate at Scotiabank Arena.
Left Wing Gabriel Landeskog on ending the losing streak:"We got to stick together as a team and all those things that you talk about on a daily basis and stay positive. Our desperation is going to be something that we need to ramp up here tonight."

Defenseman Nikita Zadorov on getting healthy:"For sure it is tough to miss some games, but with injuries you have to take it day-by-day and try and feel better the next day. That was the goal."

Head Coach Jared Bednar on playing the Maple Leafs:"Our focus is on ourselves and our game that we have to play to be successful. We haven't had a bunch of success as of late. So coming into a building like this and against a team like this--a really solid deep team--you know you have to bring your best if you're going to win. It's that simple. Hopefully our guys are up for the challenge. I think it's an exciting game for us."