​KHLIlya Nabokov’s performance on Monday wasn’t quite as strong as the one he had at Ball Arena the previous night.The Colorado Avalanche fell 3-1 to the Winnipeg Jets with a lineup that consisted mostly of bottom-six forwards and AHLers. Scott Wedgewood started in goal and played the first half of the game before Nabokov took over for the final 28:47.It was a similar setup to Sunday’s preseason opener against the Utah Mammoth, when Mackenzie Blackwood started before Nabokov replaced him with 30:30 remaining.Nabokov made just three saves on five shots against the Jets. He didn’t face enough pucks to really get into the game. But in Sunday’s 4-1 victory, the 23-year-old earned praise from head coach Jared Bednar after stopping 16 of 17 shots.“He’s fast. I mean, he’s lightning fast. You know, down low,” Bednar said.Nabokov made several saves with traffic in front of him. At one point, a Mammoth player fell on top of him while he was in the splits, yet he continued battling to find the loose puck.That type of net-front traffic is one of the biggest adjustments Nabokov will have to make as he transitions from the KHL to playing in North America. “I don’t watch a lot of KHL or European hockey, but I know that in this league, in the AHL, a lot of the game is putting pucks to the net and crashing the net,” Bednar said.“The traffic, and you’ve got to learn how to deal with those guys leaning on you all the time and still be able to make saves through traffic, right? And late in the game, 3-1, I think, at the time, they have the power play, and there’s a bunch of scrambles net front. He makes a big save, gobbles up the rebound. He looked really good in that area tonight. So that will be an adjustment.“Probably the biggest adjustment for me for goalies coming over here is the pressure that comes to the net, and how guys stand around in there and, like, dig around in there. There are a lot of dirty pucks, and you’ve got to be strong down low. Tonight he was strong down low, which is great to see.”Nabokov has now stopped 19 of 22 shots through his first two preseason appearances, totaling 59:17 of ice time.It’s unclear what Bednar has planned for the final two games of the preseason, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Nabokov appear in at least one more game.Related HeadlinesAvalanche Announce First Round of Roster CutsMacKinnon, Makar Land in TSN’s Top Five‘It’ll Sort Itself Out’: Artturi Lehkonen Not Worried About Contract SituationRead more at Colorado Hockey Now