Logan O’Connor has been a healthy scratch before, even if it has been a few years. He knows the deal.

That doesn’t mean he’s happy about it.

“Look, it’s very disappointing. There’s no way around that,” O’Connor said after Tuesday’s morning skate, before trying to think of another way to express his feelings.

He couldn’t.

“Yeah, disappointing, I guess, is the right word to put it,” he said. “You just got to be the best teammate you can be.”

With O’Connor, being the best teammate isn’t an issue, even if being a healthy scratch, as he was on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens, stings. That’s just the reality of where the Avalanche are right now.

With 14 healthy forwards, tough decisions must be made on a nightly basis. Jared Bednar wants to keep all his forwards involved down the stretch, and that’s meant O’Connor and linemate Parker Kelly have been healthy scratches twice since the trade deadline to keep Miles Wood and Jimmy Vesey in the rotation. O’Connor was in the lineup for Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the Red Wings and buried an empty netter.

A scratch for a veteran like O’Connor has been a bit of a surprise, but Bednar noted it’s not because of his work on the ice, something he’s communicated to the players.

“Certainly not (because of) his play,” Bednar said. “Their play has been outstanding. That line — (Jack) Drury, (Parker) Kelly, O’Connor — have been lights out.”

The numbers back it up. In almost 50 minutes of even-strength time together, that trio has been dominant, controlling nearly 60% of the shot attempts when they’re on the ice. They haven’t been rewarded for it on offense, but they’re doing exactly what you’d want a fourth line to do.

Not being rewarded on the offensive side has been a trend this season for O’Connor, who was having the best season of his career last year before hip surgery cut it short. His underlying metrics are strong, particularly in his own end and on the penalty kill, but it hasn’t translated at the other end. Although he’s not on the team to provide a ton of offense, he is on pace to have the worst offensive season of his career since becoming a full-time NHL player.

One part of his game that has taken a step back has been his shot production. Through 69 games this season, he has just 74 shots on goal. In 57 games last season he finished with 85 shots. Those are just the shots that hit the net, too. He’s averaging nearly four fewer shot attempts-per-60 minutes compared to last season.

“I think I put myself probably in the position to give them the opportunity to scratch me,” he said, before focusing on the positives. “It’s all about just self-reflection, I think. You can’t really blame anyone else…it’s looking internally to try and grab the most out of my game and trying to just build it in the right direction for the most important time of the year.”

When the playoffs roll around, the Avalanche know they’re going to need everyone. Although it would be a surprise if O’Connor was a scratch to start the playoffs, it’s not impossible considering the team’s depth.

O’Connor was quick to point out he was a scratch at the start of the 2022 Stanley Cup run before becoming a huge piece on a scrappy fourth line that also included veterans Darren Helm and Andrew Cogliano.

He sees similarities to that line with the group he’s currently playing with.

“Honestly, very similar,” O’Connor said of the two lines. “I think we all try and play with the same sort of identity, which is a checking, hard-to-play-against, tenacious, fast fourth line. It’s about just creating momentum and energy and I think that our line is something that can do that going forward.”

While O’Connor is focused on the Avalanche and their run toward the playoffs, he has an eye on his Denver Pioneers. Their push to repeat begins Thursday against Providence in New Hampshire.

If DU repeats, it must go through one of the best teams in the country, Boston College, which it defeated in last season’s NCAA championship game.

“They got a tough bracket,” O’Connor said. “If any group can do that against the adversity they got with how the bracket lined up, it’s them. I know (coach David) Carle will get them right.”

Avalanche 5, Red Wings 2

What happened: The Avalanche played a pretty average game and still handily beat a Red Wings team that looks like it will miss the playoffs again.

What went right: This run of victories has allowed the Avalanche to consistently roll four lines. The low man in time-on-ice up front was Logan O’Connor and he still played over 10 minutes. Nathan MacKinnon, once again, didn’t have to play 20 minutes, so Colorado has been able to manage his ice-time for a while now.

What went wrong: How are there still that many Detroit fans living in Denver? The rivalry has been dead for a while now but Ball Arena was filled with quite a few Red Wings fans. They didn’t get much to cheer for, though.

Avalanche goal scorers: Makar (27), Nichushkin (19), Toews (8), MacKinnon (29), O’Connor (8)

Red Wings goal scorers: Compher (8), Watson (2)

Between the pipes: Another solid effort from Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped 21 of 23 shots for the win.

What’s next: The Avalanche will stay at home and take on the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at 8 p.m.