Here we go again, breaking down the Colorado Avalanche's middle of the pack power play. The team showed some life on the power play over the last two weeks, but ultimately is still struggling to convert. I'm going to break down some more numbers and delve into a bit about how I think head coach Jared Bednar and assistant coach Dave Hakstol are approaching the problem.
A look at the Colorado Avalanche’s numbers with the man advantage
Since my previous article about the power play, the Avalanche have gone 17.3% (4-for-23) with the man advantage, which includes the 0-for-7 effort against the Edmonton Oilers. Of course, the Edmonton game didn't need any power play goals, considering the Avs still won the game 9-1. The team is currently ranked 16th overall at a 16.7% conversion rate, however, they rank 3rd in power play opportunities.
Over the past two weeks, they scored goals against Vancouver, Anaheim and Tampa Bay. Both Vancouver and Anaheim rank in the bottom half of the league on the penalty kill, at 32nd and 22nd respectively. Tampa Bay comes in at 7th. The teams they didn't score against were Buffalo (1st), Edmonton (13th), and the New York Islanders (11th). So, the Avs are scoring against teams they should and struggling against teams they should.
Getting the top guys going
The Avalanche are, of course, led on the power play by Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas. MacKinnon leads the team with nine power play points, putting him just outside the top 10. Makar and Necas each have seven power play points, tied with a bunch of other players at 29th in the league. MacKinnon is also tied for 8th in power play goals with five. There is something to work with here, but the underlying numbers paint another picture.
One of the biggest problems I've talked about with this Avs power play is that they aren't getting quality shots to the net. One such problem comes from Cale Makar. He ranks 2nd in blocked shots on the power play at 18. This is a major problem for the Avalanche as Makar getting shots to the net is something that would help the Avs immensely on the power play. Of course, Makar is a huge threat in his own right, but getting those pucks to the net creates scoring chances down low in the form of redirects and rebounds. The Avs have to find a way to get lanes open for Makar.
The coaching strategy and the Jared Bednar approach
Head coach Jared Bednar and power play coach Dave Hakstol are obviously trying some different things with the power play. They are clearly looking for a scheme that works. Initially, the power play was built on players rotating positions on the ice and low-to-high passes to create misdirection. However, against the Islanders, the Avs strictly stuck to a offensive zone setup, one that eliminated the player rotation and focused on getting shots from around the slot.
As the team passed the puck around the perimeter, they had two clear objectives: Get the puck to Makar, or get the puck in close. The strategy against the Islanders featured both Necas and MacKinnon getting the puck just at the front of the net for the quick turn and lift shot that many players and teams have started to use. The Avs obviously failed to convert on this but were getting good looks. The video below shows Necas attempting that exact play on the Avs second power play against the Islanders, the play starts at 7:07.
I've noticed a trend the last couple of years in the way the Avalanche approach the early part of the season. They treat some of these early games like practice for at least some of it, depending on the situation. Last year, I noticed that they heavily focused on making stretch passes from the defensive zone during the early part of a game. They had clear opportunities to bring the puck up to carry it in, but seemed set on making that stretch pass.
All of this season, they had been working at the initial system that Hakstol had employed, but against New York, they changed the script and stuck to the same strategy. Now, it's possible that the injury to Valeri Nichushkin is a major cause of the change, but Artturi Lehkonen scored from Nichushkin's position when he left that game with his injury. The Avalanche and coach Bednar seem to be content with letting the power play work itself out throughout the season rather than try to force the issue.
The Avalanche are getting opportunities, scoring chances, and shots on the net, yet they are still struggling to convert. It's not time to worry quite yet about the power play, but the time when improvement needs to be more regular is coming soon. Hopefully the Avalanche can figure out a decent solution while Nichushkin is out of the lineup that he can help them improve upon when he returns.