Following a disastrous game at Dallas last week in which he took three penalties in just more than 10 minutes, Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov was a healthy scratch for the first time this season in the team’s ensuing game at Minnesota.

Zadorov, 21, took his medicine like a professional and returned to the ice Monday at Columbus, logging a penalty-free 16:21 in Colorado’s overtime win. Given his age, Zadorov realizes his one-game banishment could be deemed beneficial.

“I had good talks with everybody in the organization, all the head guys,” Zadorov said Tuesday during off-ice workouts at the team’s practice facility. “It’s not fun to be in the stands but it’s a learning process. You forget about it, come back and refresh. Mentally, some players lose their confidence when (you’re scratched). I had kind of a bumpy first period last game, but second period I got my game back. My confidence is still really high and I feel good.”

Zadorov will play his 107th NHL game — 40th with Colorado since begin acquired from Buffalo on June 25, 2015 — Wednesday when the Avs begin a five-game homestand against Edmonton. Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson, who is often paired with Zadorov, said it might take 200 NHL games for a defenseman to come into his own.

“I went through that when I was younger too,” said Johnson, 28. “It’s a tough position to learn, especially at that age. Lot of learning left to do and sometimes a view from up top can settle you down and give you a fresh perspective.” Related Articles November 21, 2016 Returning Matt Duchene pushes Avalanche past Blue Jackets in overtime

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The Avs are coming off a 2-1 road trip, with the two wins coming after the loss to the Stars. Usually, healthy scratches don’t emerge from the dog house after a victory, but Zadorov traded places with a healthy Eric Gelinas at Columbus.

Avs coach Jared Bednar said the one-game benching is hopefully all Zadorov needs to play more consistently.

“I’d rather not have to scratch him,” Bednar said. “We want him to be on top of his game every night, and I think that’s real important for a young player to learn, that you can never get comfortable in this game — you have to prove yourself every day.

“Early in the year he was real assertive and trying to be a top player on our team, and on the ice, and sometimes you kind of settle in a little bit and that disappears from your game. That’s what I was seeing out of him. He’s a hungry guy. He wants the ice time. He’s eager to learn. If he can keep that mindset he’s going to move in the right direction for us.”

Zadorov and the Avs have a clear goal Wednesday: limit the time and space for second-year Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid, who entered action Tuesday night as the league leading scorer.

“We know who we need to shut down. One good player — really good player,” Zadorov said. “When he’s not on fire, the team is not on fire, right? We know what we need to do, as a D core.”

EDMONTON AT COLORADO, 8 p.m. Wednesday, ALT2, 950 AM

Spotlight on: Todd McLellan

The Oilers’ second-year coach guided the Houston Aeros to the 2003 Calder Cup as American Hockey League champions and never had a losing record in seven seasons with the San Jose Sharks, going 311-163-66 from 2008-15. McLellan, 49, is from Melville, Sask., and coached Team Canada to the 2015 World Championship gold medal with a perfect 10-0 record. More recently he was coach of Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey in September. McLellan’s son, Tyson McLellan, is a freshman forward for the University of Denver hockey team, and the duo will have some holiday time together before the Oilers move on to Arizona, where they play the Coyotes on Friday.

NOTEBOOK

Oilers: They are on a two-game winning streak after defeating the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 on Monday in Alberta. Teenage captain Connor McDavid had two assists to give him the NHL scoring lead with 24 points. … Forward Leon Draisaitl and defenseman Oscar Klefbom both have goals in their last three games. … This is a two-game “Dad’s Trip” for the Oilers, with many of the players’ fathers traveling with the team. … Rookie center Drake Caggiulla, who led North Dakota to the NCAA championship last spring, has an assist in each of his first two NHL games. Caggiulla’s NHL debut was delayed because of a hip injury. He was among the league’s most coveted undrafted college free agents last summer.

Avalanche: Goalie Semyon Varlamov will start and left wing Gabe Landeskog (lower-body injury) will miss his fourth consecutive game. Landeskog skated on his own Tuesday and might participate in Wednesday’s morning skate but won’t play against the Oilers. Rookie forward A.J. Greer, 19, will remain with the Avs until Landeskog is cleared to play and there are no other injuries. Greer will play his fifth career NHL game Wednesday. … Center Nathan MacKinnon has five points (two goals) in his last three games. … Colorado is fifth in NHL faceoff percentage (51.6), including a league-high 55.5 percent in the offensive zone. … The Avs are 7-2 in one-goal games and 3-0 in overtime.

Mike Chambers, The Denver Post