Avalanche Made One Major Change That Could Finally Fix Their Power Play
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You can’t criticize the 2025-26 Colorado Avalanche too much, but if there was one place this team needed help, it was the power play. On that topic, it was frustrating to watch.
Despite having some of the best players in the NHL like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas, Colorado was only successful 17.1% of the time. That ranked at a dismal No. 27 in the NHL.
For a team like the Avalanche, that was a glaring weakness.
Colorado opened the 2026-27 season by going 4-for-5 on the power play in an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
That’s impressive and could signal that something has changed.
What’s more important than the stats we can write down, is how the team went about it.
Colorado appears to have changed their approach to how it is going to use the two power-play units, and with a very small sample size to look at, the results couldn’t have been much better.
Avalanche Giving Second Unit Opportunities
For years, that has not been much mystery behind Colorado’s power-play strategy.
Put MacKinnon and the rest of the superstars on the ice and leave them there for as long as possible.
That seemed like a logical approach. The talent is undeniable. But, it wasn’t leaving much opportunity for anyone else.
According to Colorado Hockey Now’s Aarif Deen, the team scored just two power-play goals without MacKinnon on the ice during the 2025-26 season.
During Wednesday night’s opener, they scored three.
That’s not a mistake or a typo, that’s the cold, hard facts.
Colorado’s second unit needed just one game to surpass its power-play goal production without MacKinnon from all of last season.
That wasn’t an accident, either.
Bednar explained that the Avs have discussed using the second unit more this season rather than relying so heavily on the first.
"We talked about it a lot," Bednar said. "Joe [Sakic] and I talked about it. The coaching staff talked about it."
What happened on the ice could represent a philosophical shift. There are way too many talented players sitting on the bench during the power plays. Colorado intends to change that.
Colorado Has Plenty of Personnel
Calling it the “second” unit almost feels misleading. We are talking about Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, Artturi Lehkonen, Jaden Schwartz and Devon Toews.
Easily, among many NHL teams, this is a first unit squad.
On Wednesday, the organization took full advantage of having that depth and it paid off.
MacKinnon acknowledged after the game that the other unit was effective.
"They really carried it," MacKinnon said of the second unit, adding that his group still needed to get more on the same page.
One Game Doesn’t Prove the Problem Is Fixed
Clearly, no one needs to be shouting from the rooftops about this. It’s just one game. No one expects Colorado to convert 80% of its power-play opportunities.
To keep everything in perspective here, it is also important to note that the power-play units were far from perfect. The Avalanche surrendered two shorthanded goals. That can’t happen.
There is plenty for this team to clean up, but it is encouraging and should be recognized that the power-play was much better.
If this trend continues, it just makes Colorado that much more dangerous.
Avalanche Don’t Have to Be Elite on Power Play
Let’s not forget that Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy and set a franchise record with 121 points last season despite being disappointing on the power play.
Just imagine if they could just be “average” on the power-play opportunities. The point is, Colorado doesn’t have to be elite. They don’t have to score four power-play goals every night.
They just can’t afford to have this much talent and produce at a bottom-six level.
Bednar and Sakic may be on to something. Not changing the personnel, rather just change the approach.
One game is just that, one game. It was enough, though, to make everyone pay attention.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NHL, NCAA and WNBA. Laura covers the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Avalanche and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com