The Avalanche are the No. 1 seed in the league and have held that position for more than three months consecutively. There are 31 teams in the league that would love to be in their position. At 37-9-9, Colorado is on pace to eclipse 120 points for the first time in franchise history.
While things aren’t all bad, there are still reasons why Jared Bednar’s club should be concerned. Afterall, this could very well be a make-or-break season for the head coach. If the Avs are upset in the first round, or even the second round, it might force the general manager to make a change. But that shouldn’t be the case. Not with the talent this group has.
Here are three reasons the team should be concerned heading into the final 27-game stretch in 51 days.
READ MORE: 3 Reasons Why Avalanche Are No. 1 In NHL At Olympic Break
Power Play Struggles
All the way at the top of the list, and by a lot, is the Avs’ inability to figure out the power play. It started as an early-season struggle and has elevated itself to something that frustrates players almost every night.
Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, and Gabe Landeskog. These are all great, talented players that have produced on the man advantage at one point or another. But right now, no combination of five skaters is working.
And it’s concerning.
The Avs were the better team last year when they bowed out in seven games to the Dallas Stars. They scored more goals and held the lead for longer throughout the series. But when all was said and done, the Stars’ power play outdueled Colorado’s in a big way. And that was the difference.
The Avs were 13.6% on the man advantage, and the Stars operated at 30.4%. Colorado scored just three power-play goals on 22 opportunities. It was bad. And it erased nearly all the other things they did so well. You can’t let that happen again.
The Avs entered the break in dead last on the PP, scoring on just 15.1% of their chances. Their 27 total PP goals is just above the league-worst 25. But their nine shorthanded goals against pace the league. They’re struggling in every aspect.
Firing Ray Bennett and hiring Dave Hakstol over the summer to run the PP hasn’t worked. Trying different combinations hasn’t helped. Nothing is working. But Bednar and his staff are in the midst of a three-week break to really try to figure this thing out. It should be their top priority. Or it could sink their season again.
Staying Healthy
I wrote about how much Landeskog has meant to the team since returning from injury. But as soon as he went down, Colorado went from 26-1-3 in a 20-game stretch to 6-7-2 in 15 games without him for all 60 minutes.
There were other factors. Fatigue, the upcoming Olympics, and, of course, the power play. But Landeskog’s injury came around the same time as Devon Toews, and the team struggled without their top-pair defenseman and captain. There was also a three-game stretch without Martin Necas at the end.
But all three are healthy now. All three are participating in the Olympics, and if all goes well, all will be back.
That still doesn’t erase the fact that Colorado’s strong stretch of play for the first three months was also a result of being relatively healthy. They always had their top guys available; they didn’t have severe injuries until Landeskog, Toews, and Necas went down.
The worst were short spurts to Valeri Nichushkin, Samuel Girard, Ross Colton, and one of their goalies at any given time.
Staying healthy will be crucial. It not only lets you play your best players but also limits their ice time to avoid overplaying them heading into the playoffs.
Depth
Toews’ injury really highlighted how little depth the team has on the blueline. They have a solid six on the back end, but you could argue they have too much of the same thing. Still, when all of them are healthy, you’re feeling pretty good about how they perform in the regular season.
Once Toews went down and was replaced by pieces like Ilya Solovyov, Jack Ahcan, and Keaton Middleton, it quickly went wrong. The Avs need depth on the blueline. And they might even need to change out one of their guys in the six-man group to add a physical touch.
The same could be said about their forwards. After the top six, things aren’t all great. The fourth line has done an admirable job, but the third line has not.
Jack Drury has been the 3C since opening night, but he belongs on the fourth line. He is an elite 4C and has incredible chemistry with any combination of Parker Kelly, Joel Kiviranta, and, if healthy, Logan O’Connor.
But on the third line, Gavin Brindley has gone cold. Victor Olofsson isn’t producing much anymore. Ross Colton is as inconsistent as he’s ever been during his Avalanche tenure.
Chris MacFarland is always proactive. He often corrects the issues the average hockey viewer can see with this team. And right now, the depth on both the blueline and up front is an issue. I envision he’ll work on correcting those before the March 6 trade deadline.
If he does, and if he lands a bigger piece, it could also help address the power play and the team’s overall health.
