Kovalenko stood out in the Avs' 6-1 loss to the Golden Knights

DENVER – Four games down, two to go. Fortunately.

The Avalanche suffered another preseason loss on Tuesday, falling 6-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights after a poor third-period performance. It really feels like this year's exhibition games have been a bit tiring. I wrote about the number of squad spots up for grabs this morning and it's clear the focus has been on giving this group a chance.

Some of them have done well, like Sam Malinski, who head coach Jared Bednar called the best fullback to date. But the results have not translated into victories. Which doesn't really matter at this time of year. The Avs had a tough preseason performance last season and then started the regular season 6-0-0. But Bednar admitted there is still a lot of cleaning to do before next Wednesday's season opener in Vegas.

If Sunday's loss was the game that highlighted Malinski as a standout player, this was about Nikolai Kovalenko proving he belongs. The 24-year-old has stood out from the competition as a clear candidate to play in the top six at the start of the season. And if he can perform like that all year long, Bednar might have a hard time keeping him out of the top nine even if all of his forwards were healthy.

“Yeah, sure,” Bednar said when asked if Kovalenko was a bright spot. “I thought he stood out again, like he worked hard, he played, he played under pressure. He made plays from the D-zone, neutral zone and offensive zone. It wasn’t perfect, but he was good again on the power play.”

Kovalenko played up front alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. He put on a sort of Artturi Lehkonen-lite performance, playing the role of puck dog, moving pucks out of the corner after every dump-in. His ability to get into dangerous areas is one of the best traits we've seen from him in the KHL, and that's why the Avs are excited to have him.

He also stood in front of the opponent's goal on the power play and played a role that was often played by Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog before him.

“He had a lot of really nice chances. He played with two really good players and they had a good night with the puck at times,” Bednar said. “But he definitely showed that he can at least get into that position and help create some opportunities on his own and with his linemates.”

Given his experience in the KHL, Kovalenko is not a traditional rookie. So it's no big surprise that he seems comfortable playing the role that suits him best. But if Tuesday proved anything, it's his role – his game fits the Avalanche just as it did his previous teams.

It also gave Bednar a glimpse of what it would be like if he decided to spread the wealth among his top four healthy forwards. Kovalenko competing with MacKinnon and Rantanen could give Casey Mittelstadt a chance to play with Jonathan Drouin. Bednar wouldn't fully commit to it yet. He would like to see what some of the younger players could do with Mittelstadt before taking Drouin off the top spot.

But it's still a big problem if Kovalenko can actually compete with the top players during the regular season.