The Avalanche were on the verge. The playoff party has been a tease for the past several weeks, but after the Avs’ improbable run of goalie-pulling, game-tying madness, they made it all the way to the door.
The beat of the playoff party was audible, and the Avalanche had rung the doorbell. All they had to do was wait for a few other teams to open the door for them, and take a few small steps through the threshold. Instead the Avalanche spilled cheese dip all over their shirt in back-to-back games, impressive considering they didn’t even make it inside. How do you cheese dip yourself when you haven’t even had access to the dip? I digress.
I spent much of this evening catching glimpses of the game, while spending time with relatives who are in town. As it got later into the evening, I decided I really didn’t want to recap another disappointing shutout. Instead, I’d give a commentary on this team’s lack of goal-scoring in its entirety!
If hockey players were granted 007 clearance for a license to score, the Avalanche would have the double-0 part down pat. Back-to-back games, and the Avalanche can’t find a single goal. I’m flabbergasted. The Avs burned the steaks when the stakes were at a high point.
Oh, how it hurts. I can’t imagine how the players feel. How can you get shut out in both of these games? A rivalry throwback against the Red Wings, with a buzz in your home arena. Followed by a clash with the new-age rivals, the Minnesota Wild. A team who stomped you twice earlier in the season… and you can’t score a single goal.
Hockey’s a simple game. You put the puck in the net. The Avalanche have turned it into something much more complicated.
If you had told me the Avs would hold the Wings and Wild to a goal apiece (empty netters don’t count), I would have jumped at those odds. That’s a pair of wins for certain, I would have thought. Nope.
The Avalanche have now been shut out in all three games against the Wild. Barf. I repeat we haven’t scored a goal on the Wild yet this season. Ughh. The Avalanche have been shutout eight times overall on the season. EIGHT TIMES. Ughhh.
I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. Why can’t this Avalanche team score goals? How is it possible that with all of the firepower the Avalanche seem to have under the hood, they have sputtered to a dismal 2.40 goals-per-game, which is only better than five other teams in the NHL? How can the Avalanche have a power play that is better than only Buffalo?
It’s mind blowing.
The Avs had concerns on the backend entering this season, and people thought that they might be in line for a slight statistical correction in their scoring output from a year ago based on shooting percentage.
I don’t think many expected the Avalanche to shoot themselves in the foot on so many nights, with an inability to tickle the twine. This team was built to score goals. They were among the league’s best last season, averaging nearly 3 goals per game. The Avs’ goals against has risen slightly from 2.63 to 2.70 per game. Clearly, it’s a lack of goals that is dooming this team. They haven’t corrected slightly statistically. They’ve crashed through the floor.
Let’s start with the obvious. Nathan MacKinnon hasn’t taken that step to super-stardom that many expected. He still may be on that track, but not on the fast-track as advertised this off-season.
MacKinnon’s 9 goals and 20 assists through 53 games are disappointing, but I really don’t put the weight of this team’s failure to score on his shoulders. MacK is 19 years old, and is still learning how to play in this league. He is gaining exposure to the center ice position, after playing on the wing much of last season with security blanket, Paul Stastny.
For the Avalanche to take that next step, and gain future height in the standings from these growing pains, MacKinnon is going to have to elevate his offense. For now, I’m fine with saying he’s just a kid having a sophomore slump.
Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog are having much more disappointing seasons in my eyes. These guys have seen the ropes. They know what they need to do in this league.
Dutchy is in his 6th season. He’s in the prime of his career, and at 24 years old, he should be putting this team on his back offensively. I don’t think people will question is effort and passion, and he’s hit more than is fair share of posts. He still is coming up invisible on the scoresheet far too often. I’m not sure if he’s injured or what, but he doesn’t seem to have that same spark of speed and explosiveness that he had last season. 31 points in 53 games isn’t going to get the job done from your number one center.
Landy is in the same boat with 31 points on the season in 53 games. The Captain needs to score more, and find a way to get manufacture some offense in big games.
Putting words and explanations to this is difficult. I think losing Jamie McGinn was a critical injury. He provided some nice scoring depth, and had some nice chemistry with MacKinnon and Duchene.
The Avs also just seem to have some issues with chemistry while on the ice, and executing their systems. The breakouts are often limited and lack creativity. Same goes for attack zone entrances. The Avs seem to fight each other with their passing a bit at times, and are consistently outshot. The power play lacks confidence and ingenuity. It looks like they are just going through the motions, and hoping that the puck will find a way into the net. I don’t always sense that desperation to score goals with this team.
Sometimes I feel like this team is just a weird mix. There are some talented players, and a lot of exciting youth. There is also some wisdom and veteran players. It just seems like maybe the aged wine pairing isn’t complimenting the rest of the meal at all times. I don’t get the feeling that the Avalanche are always playing as a unit of five. That’s just the impression I get watching these guys this year.
As I wrap this post up, I worry it is a bit disjointed and didn’t really go anywhere. In many ways it was a vent and dump, and just a way to type out some frustration.
In a way, I like how it turned out. I think it mirrors the Avalanche season perfectly, and is a good representation of how things have gone. This season has been up and down, and confusing. It’s seemed to be going somewhere in some ways, but then again it seems to be circling back to the same old stories far too often. Every breath of fresh air is followed by an inhalation of smoke. Every blue sky is dotted with clouds.
Hockey’s a simple game. You put the puck in the net.
The Avalanche have turned it into something much more complicated. I haven’t quite zeroed in on it yet.