DENVER — Young Blackhawks defenseman Nolan Allan skated one lap around Ball Arena on Monday and immediately felt the effect of the elevation.
‘‘It’s my first time I’ve ever been here, so it was a bit of an eye-opener in morning skate,’’ Allan, 21, said. ‘‘You go up and down the ice, and you’re just out of gas.’’
Allan feels as though there’s something new to adjust to in the NHL every day, and that’s generally a universal experience for rookies. Making the Hawks’ roster out of training camp was an accomplishment for Allan, but it doesn’t get any easier to hold a spot as the regular season progresses.
‘‘[It’s amazing] how good you have to be defensively to not give them looks because [NHL forwards] can make plays out of nothing,’’ he said.
The Hawks-Avalanche matchup Monday was Allan’s seventh career NHL game and his sixth consecutive appearance in the lineup. He has held his own so far. The Hawks have scored four goals and conceded four — a respectable ratio — during his five-on-five ice time on the third pairing.
‘‘[He’s providing] solid play,’’ coach Luke Richardson said. ‘‘There’s not a lot of big mistakes by him. [He’s] learning a few little things on the fly, but he’s strong, he’s a good skater and he’s playing confident. We like everything about him right now.’’
One of the things Allan has learned is how to better read and defend opponents’ rushes.
He has a clearer sense now than he did at the start of October, for example, about how to decipher indicators such as the handedness of the puck-carrier and the speed at which the opposing forwards are moving to determine how to push the rush into an area where he can cut off the play. The basic idea is to keep the puck out of the center of the ice, but there’s more to it than that.
In between all of those lessons, however, Allan also has taken some time to appreciate the novelty of this rookie adventure.
‘‘I’ve still got to pinch myself every morning that I’m still here,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s been a really cool experience, and I’m thankful for every day.’’
Deflection consolation
Defenseman Seth Jones didn’t have to watch the video that made the rounds late Saturday on social media to know his shot from the point in the final minute against the Stars was headed for the net. He saw it with his own eyes, in the moment.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, well-meaning captain Nick Foligno deflected the shot down and wide, denying them their last chance to tie the score and force overtime.
Foligno was upset about it afterward, but Jones told him not to beat himself up.
‘‘I’m like, ‘Tip every puck. It’s just unlucky,’ ’’ Jones said. ‘‘It could bounce and go in. [Jason Dickinson] was there, too. It bounced over his stick at the last second. It’s kind of the way it was.’’
This and that
Defenseman Artyom Levshunov, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, played his first two career AHL games this past weekend, notching an assist as Rockford split two games against the Jets’ affiliate.
• Entering play Monday, Foligno had been credited with 31 hits this season, which ranked 12th in the league. Forward Pat Maroon was a distant second on the Hawks with 18.
Wyatt Kaiser entered Monday leading the Hawks in blocked shots with 24. Fellow defensemen Alex Vlasic (21) and Connor Murphy (19) were second and third.
• Goalie Arvid Soderblom recovered from his illness and rejoined the Hawks, so prospect Drew Commesso was reassigned to Rockford.