Dennis Everberg is still learning what it's like to be an NHL player, what he has to do to stick with the Avalanche, to turn this stint with the team into a long career.
Coach Patrick Roy likes what he sees of the 6-foot-4, 205-pound rookie, who signed as a free agent last April and is still adjusting to the North American style of play after playing all of his previous hockey in his native Sweden.
Everberg, 23, has been playing right wing lately on the third line with left wing Alex Tanguay and center John Mitchell, and he's been killing penalties. He logged a season high 15:20 in ice time Wednesday in the Avalanche's 3-1 win against Pittsburgh with two shots on goal and one official hit.
"I like his size, I like his physicality, he finishes his checks," Roy said after practice Thursday. "I love the fact defensively that he's very reliable, he'll block shots. The part that I was hoping to see from him playing in the minors all year was to get some confidence offensively. He's starting now to challenge D's. He had a one-on-one where he took a nice shot. He went around on that (third-period Mitchell) goal that was disallowed. I just feel he's improved a lot in the last five or six games. I'm very pleased with him.
"He was not supposed to play (in Colorado) this year. He was supposed to be just a call-up. Now he's playing a lot of games and I think he'll benefit from that."
Everberg began the season with the Avalanche and played in the first five games. He was sent to Lake Erie in the AHL on Oct. 17 and shuttled back and forth a few times when injuries hit other forwards before his most recent recall Jan. 26. He earlier missed eight games because of a shoulder injury.
"It's a dream all your life to play in the NHL," said Everberg, who has two goals and five assists in 39 games. "I'm playing on the third line with some really good players, but you have to put up numbers if you're playing that much. It's been a big adjustment (after playing on the bigger ice surface in Europe) and I think I've managed it pretty well, but I have a long ways to go. I do like to play more north-south hockey, it's more fun. The D's I play against every day are a lot better. Just a lot of small tricks and some learning I'm doing every day."
Everberg had 17 goals and 17 assists in 47 games last season with Rogle BK in Sweden. He had eight goals and three assists in 16 playoff games.
"When it's your first experience of North American hockey for a guy coming from overseas, there's a lot of differences in the game and he's adjusted really well," said Tanguay, who played in his 1,000th NHL game Wednesday. "He's learning the ropes, he's a young kid with tons of energy. His level of confidence and understanding of the game will grow as he gets more games. This is good for this franchise. He's going to be a good player for many years to come."
But Everberg has been disappointed with his offensive production.
"The thing that's missing is the goals," he said. "We have to put up numbers. We know that and that's what we're striving for. Of course it feels good to have more responsibility. It means you've done something right if you're getting more ice time." The Avalanche thought Everberg and Mitchell combined for a third-period goal Wednesday. Everberg drove to the net for a shot that goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped before Mitchell banged in the rebound. But the goal was wiped out when Everberg was ruled to have interfered with Fleury.
"But that's a good example of how Dennis utilizes his speed and his size to drive and to take that puck to the net," Mitchell said. "I don't think he hit Fleury hard enough that he took him out of the play at all. Fleury got back in position when I shot the puck and it went 5-hole on him.
"Dennis is strong on the walls. He's obviously a young NHL player and there are little things that he'll pick up, like in our end and board play. He plays his off wing, so I can see how that could be a little bit difficult, especially when pucks get rimmed around to him. To chip them out it's a little bit difficult when you're on your off wing, but he's big, he's got good speed for a big guy.
"Each game he gets a little more confident to hold onto the puck and to use his big body to take pucks to the net. He can handle himself in the physical aspect and that's definitely a bonus."
*****
Jarome Iginla reached the 20-goal mark for the 16th time in his career and tied Bobby Clarke for 43rd place on the all-time scoring list with his 1,210th point. He also was responsible for the new car, a Toyota Camry, that was awarded to fan Shane Diltz.
The team has a contest in which a car is given to that game's selected fan if the Avalanche scores a goal in the first 30 seconds of the second period. Iginla ripped a shot past Fleury 13 seconds in on a power play and the Pepsi Center crowd cheered more loudly than usual when the prize was awarded.
"Is that what it was?" Iginla said after the game. "Cool. I saw it happen once at home in (Calgary), and I think (Curtis) Glencross did it for us. But, no, I didn't know that tonight."