Heading into an April 2 contest with the Blues, riding a then-12-game point streak, the Avalanche found themselves in need of two forwards. Logan O’Connor had suffered a lower-body injury earlier that week, and Valeri Nichushkin was out. The team decided to turn to Kiefer Sherwood and Liam O’Brien, two 26-year-old grinding forwards who both started their professional careers as undrafted free agents. They weren’t flashy names or former first-rounders like Martin Kaut or
