Brandon Gormley set to make Avalanche debut

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Defenseman Brandon Gormley made his Avalanche debut Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Pepsi Center.

Gormley, 23, was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes on Sept. 9 for defenseman Stefan Elliott, 24, who didn’t pan out in Colorado. Gormley was the Coyotes’ first-round selection (13th overall) in the 2010 draft.

He partnered with Nick Holden against the Hurricanes, who played the third game of a seven-game road trip. Colorado’s other defensive pairings were the top twosome of Francois Beauchemin and Erik Johnson, and Nikita Zadorov with Nate Guenin.

“Coming in here after getting traded, you just try to play your game and earn a spot. I thought I had a good camp,” Gormley said at Wednesday morning’s availability. “Before the season, I knew I would be sitting out the first few (games) here. As a player, you just have to compete hard in practice and try to prove every day that you belong in the lineup.”

Rare company. Avs forward John Mitchell became the first Avalanche player to open the season with a four-game goal streak. In franchise history, former Quebec Nordiques greats Michel Goulet (1983) and Mats Sundin (1992) also scored in each of the first four games.

Coincidence? Taking a shot off the skate boot is often painful and can lead to a broken foot. But Colorado entered Wednesday’s game with an NHL-most 126 blocked shots, and only Montreal (100) also was in triple digits.

The Avs might feel more brave this season, because for the first time in club history, the team is requiring the players to wear high-tech plastic skate fenders that protect the feet from shots off the boot.

Footnotes. The Avs began a two-game homestand that concludes Saturday night against Columbus. The 0-7 Blue Jackets got a new coach Wednesday when they fired Todd Richards and hired John Tortorella, the winningest American-born coach. The Blue Jackets are just the sixth NHL team to begin 0-7. … The Avs entered Wednesday having gone 16-5-5 all time against Carolina. … Avs captain Gabe Landeskog entered the game with 199 career points. … The Avs visit Carolina next week to conclude a three-game trip in Raleigh, N.C. Colorado opens the trip Tuesday against Florida.