Mironov has his comfort zone

TENN.» Avalanche NASHVILLE, rookie defenseman Andrei Mironov hasn’t played since opening night, when he logged 11 minutes, 24 seconds in a shaky NHL debut at the New York Rangers. The 23-year-old Russian was a healthy scratch for the sixth consecutive game Tuesday when Colorado took on the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

So why is Mironov still with the Avs instead of developing for their American Hockey League affiliate in San Antonio?

With the Avs, Mironov is surrounded by three fellow Russians in forward Nail Yakupov, defenseman Nikita Zadorov and goalie Semyon Varlamov. They help him understand how to play on the NHL-size rink — particularly Zadorov, who plays the same position. Mironov, who played the last five seasons in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League, speaks very little English.

“With ‘Miro,’ he’s in a little bit of a unique situation because he’s coming over to North America for the first time, he’s playing on the smaller ice for the first time. So I think he continues to get better every day, even in practice,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said after the morning skate. “But we certainly want to have him playing some games here, too, so we may explore some options to get him in.

“There’s different things you could do. We could play seven (defensemen). He has the availability (waiver-exempt) to go to the minors and play. We’ll see. We’re going to need all these guys when it’s all said and done, so we want to keep them all going and try to keep improving every day as individuals and as a group.”

The AHL Rampage only has one Russian on its team in rookie forward Klim Kostin, who is property of the St. Louis Blues. But Kostin also is in his first year in North America. So the Avs believe Mironov is learning more with a deep support group with Colorado.

“We talked to Varly about how much Miro is understanding, and I think every day he’s understanding more and more what we’re saying,” Bednar said. “He’s got the translators there to ask questions, too, in his teammates. He’s got guys around him that know what he’s going through. And Z (Zadorov) is a similar guy that plays a similar style.”

Footnotes. Rookie defenseman Anton Lindholm replaced Patrik Nemeth (shoulder injury) and partnered with Tyson Barrie on the second pairing. Lindholm was a healthy scratch the last three games. Zadorov remains on the top pairing with Erik Johnson, and Chris Bigras and Mark Barberio made up the third pairing. … Forward Matt Nieto was a healthy scratch for the fourth time this season. Center Tyson Jost, who missed the last two games with a leg-bone bruise, returned to the lineup and played on the fourth line.