The Colorado Avalanche got off to a roaring start on Wednesday night. The Avs blew out the LA Kings 8-4 in their season opener.
However, the offensive onslaught didn’t really paper over the evident defensive miscues. Be that as it may, a win is a win. But as the Avalanche get set to take on the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night, the circumstances will be different.
Colorado will be looking at three specific storylines heading into the game. So, let’s take a closer look at what figure to be key aspects that could make or break the Avalanche’s next game.
Can the Avalanche Keep Rolling on the Power Play?
This might be the most interesting storyline after what happened Wednesday night.
The Avalanche went 4-for-5 on the power play against Los Angeles, immediately answering one of the biggest questions hanging over the club heading into the season.
But Jared Bednar isn't treating that performance as proof that everything has suddenly been fixed.
In fact, he had plenty to say about the power play during Friday's practice. Bednar pointed out that simply putting talented players on the ice doesn't automatically create a good power play. Movement and execution still matter.
That's important because Colorado struggled badly on the power play at times last season. The club finished the season 27th in the league with a 17.1% power-play percentage.
Saturday provides an early opportunity to see whether Wednesday was the beginning of something different or simply one very good night.
If the Avalanche can keep generating chances and moving the penalty killers around, this could become a major weapon.
Will Colorado Get Some Help Up Front?
The Avalanche dressed just 11 forwards against the Kings, which isn’t exactly the best way to kickoff an 84-game season.
Logan O'Connor and Zachary L'Heureux both missed the opener with lower-body injuries, although both skated ahead of Friday's practice. Their status for Saturday remains uncertain.
That makes this something to watch closely.
Colorado managed perfectly well against Los Angeles. Parker Kelly and Nic Roy still produced, and the Avalanche somehow found eight goals while constantly rotating players through the bottom of the lineup.
But that's not a sustainable plan.
There’s no timetable for O'Connor or L'Heureux to return. But when they do, Bednar will be able to ice four full lines. In the meantime, the lineup figures to be 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. The only bright spot, if you want to call it that, is that the Avalanche have played with this setup many times before.
So, its not like it will be something completely weird for the team.
Can the Avalanche Clean Up Their Defensive Game?
Eight goals will cover up a lot of problems.
That's exactly why the Avalanche need to be careful not to overlook what happened defensively against Los Angeles.
Colorado allowed four goals and gave up two shorthanded goals in the opener. The offense was spectacular, but there were enough breakdowns in transition and defensive coverage to give Bednar something to work on.
Saturday is a different test.
The Blues will be playing their second game in two nights after opening their season in Dallas on Friday before traveling to Denver.
That could give Colorado an opportunity to put pressure on a tired opponent.
But the Avalanche also can't assume the Blues will simply run out of gas.
The best sign for Colorado would be another win that doesn't require eight goals to get there.
Because if the Avalanche can combine that offensive firepower with a cleaner defensive performance, Saturday could provide a much more complete picture of just how dangerous this team might be.
Add us as a preferred source on Google