As the dust settles on the trade of Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, we’ve gotten to see the Avs’ new players in action over the past couple of days. Both forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury have gotten some games under their belt in Denver now. One particular aspect ot the team’s game looked quite improved.
The Avalanche have struggled mightily on the power play for quite some time now. Prior to Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers, they were just 1-of-26 in the category for a while. Their power play lines were actually alive Sunday, and a big part of that was Necas, who not only put up three shots on a single power play, but has also contributed with five shots on goal.
Cale Makar had the power play goal with 5:24 left in the first period to put the Avs up 3-2.
Just like pretty much anything, we just need to see some life from the team’s power play units. Watching the unit on Sunday was like a breath of fresh air. It’s also amazing how well Necas appears to have fit in with the team already. It doesn’t completely take away the hurt that Avalanche fans felt when Rantanen was on his way out, and I know it’s a very short sample size right now, but those wounds will heal.
In the past, even dating back to last season, it felt as if the Avalanche were not putting enough shots on goal, especially on the power play. I understand that getting “the perfect shot” is ideal for goal percentages, but it’s not ideal to pass the puck 30 times a sequence when the other team is shorthanded . Okay, so 30 is an exaggeration, but you get the point. It just feels like a waste of time since they struggled so much as converting the opportunities into goals.
Maybe it is a confidence issue. Maybe the addition of Necas was the missing piece to the puzzle they’ve been looking for for a while. Whatever the reason is for the seemingly improved power play, it just gets me excited. Hopefully it’s not a premature feeling that gets deflated. If I had to bet, though, I think that we’re going to see the power play consistently get better.
Necas has 35 power play goals in his career, including seven this year, all while playing for the Carolina Hurricanes.