As Brett Kulak entered the Avalanche dressing room Tuesday, he was greeted by members of the Edmonton media. There were a few hugs, some reminiscing, and check-ins to see how things have gone for the defenseman the last few months.

Perhaps they know the Oilers could use him on their team right now. The Avalanche are glad he isn’t.

The 32-year-old defenseman faced off against his former team during Tuesday’s 4-3 Avalanche loss to the Oilers. It was the eighth game of Kulak’s Avalanche career. The first seven went about as well as anyone could have hoped for.

In Kulak’s first seven games in the burgundy and blue, the Avalanche gave up zero goals at 5-on-5 with him on the ice. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Sure, it’s not all Kulak. Goaltenders need to make saves when mistakes inevitably happen during a fast-paced game, but he has been rock solid.

Just as the Avalanche expected him to be.

“He’s a great defender,” coach Jared Bednar emphasized after Colorado’s win over Minnesota. “Positionally, stick, physicality, closing plays out – he’s helping a little bit on the offensive side as we’ve seen, but he’s a big strong guy that can play against anybody. That’s the way Edmonton used him … he’s a really smart, intelligent defender and he’s got that size and strength and skating ability that helps him be able to play against anyone.”

“I know they’re different players, but he’s got a lot of traits that say a guy like (Devon Toews) has.”

While Kulak has seen time on a pair with Cale Makar and Josh Manson, his regular defensive partner has been Sam Malinski. In the 85 minutes of 5-on-5 time those two had spent together heading into Tuesday’s game, the Avalanche outscored the opposition 3-0 and controlled 58% of the shot attempts.

Malinski spent the majority of the season on a pair with Sam Girard, someone who is going to get a little more involved offensively than Kulak. The 27-year-old Malinski says he’s not trying to change his game no matter who he’s playing with, but acknowledges that Girard and Kulak have some differences to their respective games.

“They’re different players,” Malinski said. “(Girard) is more offensive and (Kulak) has some of that too but his strength is more defending and (defensive) zone.”

For Kulak, he’s had experience playing with every type of defenseman you can find. With the Penguins, his most common defensive partner was Kris Letang, a six-time All-Star and owner of multiple Stanley Cup rings. Last postseason with the Oilers, he split time with Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard, two wildly different players.

Stylistically, Malinski plays more like Bouchard than Nurse, but he doesn’t quite have the name recognition around the league that those two do.

“I didn’t know much about (Malinski) coming in, but it’s been nice playing with him,” Kulak said. “I think his ability to make little plays, to find me on breakouts and things like that, I think we’ve had a lot of success there. He’s creative in the (offensive) zone, he gets lots of shots through and can make things happen with the puck. I’ve really enjoyed playing with him.”

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch knows all about Kulak’s ability to step up when the playoffs roll around. He wasn’t exactly jumping for joy when Kulak was dealt back to the Western Conference by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“Very reliable. We saw him play some of his best hockey when the games were at the high stakes,” Knoblauch said. “Played really well for us (in) the playoffs for two years in a row. Just a really good defenseman that can move up the lineup when you need him.”

Oilers 4, Avalanche 3

What happened: What happened? A little bit of everything with the Oilers’ power play being the difference.

What went right: That was perhaps the best game of Zakhar Bardakov’s young career. He had several impactful shifts, including one that drew a penalty in the first period. Some nice puck protection in the third period led to Nichushkin’s goal. With the Avalanche now down a few wingers, they’ll need more games like that from him.

What went wrong: A night to forget for Brent Burns, who has slowed as the season has gone on. He drifted away from his spot in the slot in the defensive zone, leaving Nugent-Hopkins all alone on Edmonton’s first goal, and then turned it over before getting caught puck-watching on Edmonton’s second goal. His first game after turning 41 is one he’ll look to erase from his memory.

Avalanche goal scorers: Necas (29), Colton (8), Nichushkin (14)

Oilers goal scorers: Nugent-Hopkins (16, 17), Roslovic (17), McDavid (38)

Between the pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood didn’t get much help early, as the first three Oilers goals came from players being left wide-open in front. He rebounded nicely after but still took the loss. He finished with 20 saves.

What’s next: The Avalanche head to Seattle to take on the Kraken on Thursday at 8 p.m.