Clark blossomed once Sauer took over as his partner. Sauer did alter his game once he paired up with Clark and I think the increased responsibility challenged him to perform.

He does that “reach with the stick for a poke check while taking space away and pinning you against the boards move” (how do you put that little TM symbol in the comments, because that deserves it) extremely well in the second half.

His transition defense isn’t the best and I think Clark complimented him in that area. He’s a pure poke check defenseman when he’s skating backwards in to his own zone. I can’t remember a single instance of him taking a body on the rush. He waits until the puck is cycling in the corners before he gets in to the body. He has great position in his own zone once the puck gets established (the cycle). I think because of his weakness on transition defense he’ll never be better than a 3/4. I think the Avs need someone on the first pairing who can perform well against transitional teams like Nashville and Buffalo as well as against teams that cycle the puck like San Jose and Detroit. I think Clark and Sauer make an ideal second pairing. Hopefully Leopold can stay healthy and prove he can be a 1/2. The Avs still need a legit top pairing defenseman however, preferably a physical stay at home styled player.