The Colorado Avalanche keep scoring enough to stay afloat, but their special teams are making life harder than it needs to be.
That was on full display Wednesday night at Ball Arena, where Colorado’s power play went 0-for-4 in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars. The Avs had a real chance to take that game, but the man advantage came up empty again. At the same time, the bigger gut punch came while they were trying to press the issue: a shorthanded goal that flipped the night on its head.
Cale Makar’s costly giveaway led to the latest shortie against Colorado, and it was a problem the Avalanche had already seen too often. The goal was the third shorthanded tally they’ve surrendered this season, a number that tells the story of a team not just failing to cash in, but also getting burned while trying.
You can point to a save that didn’t get made or a puck battle that turned the wrong way, sure. But the reality is clearer than that: Colorado’s special-teams play is becoming too shaky to ignore, even with an offense that can usually cover plenty of mistakes.
And it isn’t only the power play. The penalty kill has been serviceable, but not nearly dominant. Colorado sits 15th in the league at 82.4%, which is a step below the standard it set last season when it finished first at 84.6%.
That gap matters because the power play isn’t doing enough to make up the difference. When one side of special teams slips and the other side doesn’t pick up the slack, the whole structure starts to wobble.
The Avs are not in crisis. But they are at a point where improvement has to come quickly.
Dave Hakstol’s departure to become the head coach at ASU creates an opening for a reset on the power play, with Brett McLean set to replace him. It also gives Colorado a chance to revisit its penalty-kill approach.
Friday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins could be the start of that reset. For the Avalanche, it has to be more than just another night on the schedule.
In Other News...
Avalanche Lose A Bench Voice At An Awkward Time For Special Teams
Dave Hakstols time on the Avalanche bench is ending at a tricky stretch for the staff, with the veteran coach coaching his final game in Colorado and then expected to move into the interim head coaching role at Arizona State University. For an Avalanche team that has leaned on every voice behind the bench, its a notable shift, and Brett McLean is set to step in and take Hakstols place on the staff.
The timing adds an extra layer to the move, since Arizona State has been searching for an experienced coach after Greg Powers was placed on administrative leave. For Colorado, the immediate takeaway is simple enough: one of the familiar voices around the room is leaving, and the Avalanche will have to adjust quickly while special teams remains under the microscope. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Just Lost A Key Coach Behind Their Biggest Problem
The Avalanche are set to lose one of their assistant coaches as Dave Hakstol moves on to take over as Arizona States interim head coach, a change that comes after his time in Denver included helping behind the bench in a key role. The shift also carries a personal angle, with Hakstols move tied in part to his son being involved with the Sun Devils club team.
Colorado is expected to fill the opening with Brett MacLean, a former Avalanche player who has also spent time as an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks. It is another behind-the-scenes adjustment for a team that will now look to keep its coaching structure steady as one of its important bench voices heads to the college game. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Still Have One Costly Problem Against Central Division Contenders
After taking the first half of the back-to-back in Dallas, the Avalanche came home to Ball Arena and found the Stars had a quick answer. Colorado pushed the game to a shootout in a 3-2 loss, with Gabe Landeskog and Brock Nelson providing the goals in regulation and Nazem Kadri scoring for Colorado in the extra session.
It was another reminder that the Central Division still presents a different kind of test for the Avalanche, even early in the season. Colorado sits at 4-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 against division opponents, but Dallas answered with a shorthanded goal, an even-strength goal and a stronger shootout finish, leaving the Avalanche with one more night to sort out a problem that keeps showing up when the games get tight. [Read more 🡒]