How to improve the Colorado Avalanche’s power play
Over their last 30 games, the Avs are 11-for-85 on the power play, according to Statmuse. That’s a 12.9%, something that just won’t cut it for a contending team. That 12.9% would put the Avalanche slightly over the Anaheim Ducks for 31st in the league.
That’s not precisely what the Avs need to contend, especially in the playoffs.
But fixing the power play doesn’t happen at the flip of a switch. It’s a more organic situation. It happens when teams find a diverse range of weapons to deploy.
First, strong power play teams have a strong one-time option. Check. The Avs have that with Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen’s can blast one-timers till the cows come home.
Second, good power plays have a strong point shot. That’s where we may need to pause for a second. Cale Makar has a good shot, but he needs to make better use of it.
Third, the previous point ties into this next one. Good teams with the man advantage create traffic in front of the net and have strong forwards who can sweep rebounds and deflections into the back of the net.
In conclusion, the Avs need to create more chaos and shoot the puck more through traffic. That’s when the one-timer and strong puck movement can truly begin to shine.
Let’s see what the Avs can do on Saturday as they take on the Dallas Stars in a key divisional matchup. A couple of power play goals would go a long way toward securing a win.