CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Really, the decision to play Sheldon Dries alongside Alexander Kerfoot and Colin Wilson started off as an experiment.



Not every Avalanche forward was performing the way Jared Bednar would have liked last Thursday in the first period against the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. It prompted the Avs coach to shorten his bench and utilize the skaters who were following through on their assignments.



“There were some guys I didn’t like in Calgary, obviously,” said Bednar, who saw his team surrender a 4-1 lead before taking a 6-5 loss against the Flames. “Those three guys, when they were put together, did a nice job and that’s how it came about.”



Bednar used the three for “a handful of shifts” and doing so yielded some extremely promising results.



Kerfoot provided a secondary assist that led to Dries scoring his first career NHL goal. Minutes later, Dries then drove the play that set...