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Avalanche have a special-teams problem that their offense can’t keep hiding

The Colorado Avalanche are facing a problem with their special teams that the offense just can't paper over.
ByNestor Quixtan
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Oct 14, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar in the first period against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Oct 14, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar in the first period against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By now, the challenges the Colorado Avalanche are facing on special teams is hardly a secret.

The Avs’ power play once again went scoreless, registering an 0-for4- showing in their 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night at Ball Arena.

The game, however, could have been a victory. And it was the power play that let the team down. But beyond the evident lack of effectiveness with the man advantage, it’s the shorthanded goals that have come back to bite Colorado.

Wednesday night’s egregious mistake by superstar Cale Makar proved costly.

The goal was the third shortie the Avalanche have already surrendered this season. And it highlighted just how poorly Colorado has handled their power play opportunities.

You can't help but think that if that shorthanded goal had not gone in, the Avs could have won the game. Yes, you could also argue that Scott Wedgewood needed to make that save to bail his team out.

But the situation has just gotten out of hand. MacKenzie Blackwood made a brilliant save on another egregious giveaway on Tuesday night in Dallas.

That’s why, no matter how much the Avalanche can score, their offense just can’t keep up papering over the evident struggles on special teams.

Penalty kill isn’t exactly that much better

While the power play has certainly been the talk of the town, the Avalanche’s penalty kill hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire, either.

The Avs are ranked 15th in the league with an 82.4%. That’s not bad, but it’s a far cry from the top-ranked penalty kill the team had last season. Colorado finished tops in the league with an 84.6%.

All right, so you can argue that Avalanche are right on par with their penalty kill from last season. Sure, that might be accurate, but when you see that the Toronto Maple Leafs have a 95.8% penalty kill rate early in the season, it makes you think that Colorado could do better.

And since the power play isn’t taking up the slack for the shorthanded shortcomings, well, something has to give.

No, the situation is not dire for the Avalanche. But something needs to improve. The departure of Dave Hakstol to take over the head coaching job at ASU should give Colorado a natural opportunity to push the reset button on the power play.

The situation should also allow the team to rethink its penalty kill strategy as well. The next game on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins could be the beginning of a new era for the Avalanche’s special teams this season.

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