Special Teams Key to Avalanche Climbing Western Conference
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The Colorado Avalanche are recently coming off of a 4-0 shutout victory over the Detroit Red Wings where a big reason why they won was their power play. But entering Sunday where the Avalanche had the day off, their power play ranked at number 11.
But when it comes to their penalty kill, their unit ranked at number 15. And if the Avalanche and head coach Jared Bednar and stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas want to reach the top of the west, those units need to improve.
The Avalanche are usually known for having a lethal powerplay that could hurt teams at any time. And it showed in the victory over the Red Wings. But the penalty kill also needs work as being 15th is basically the middle of the pack.
Bednar and the staff need to find a way to improve both special teams units if they want to contend for the Stanley Cup in 2026-27.
Special teams are a huge part of what make up a lot of hockey games and are a big reason why hockey games are won and lost.
Avalanche Could Cement Themselves As West Contenders if Others Step Up on Power Play
The usual suspects that Bednar employs on the first unit are not the only ones that need to be contributing on the scoresheet.
Guys like Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and TJ Hughes among others are guys that can also put the puck in the back of the net on any given night.
But with the Avalanche being so top heavy in their lineup especially for how lethal they can be, it seems like the depth has not been stepping up enough.
Maybe a change of the units, as to where the talent is spread out, and both units are even in terms of shots and goal scoring, could do the trick.
Being 11th in the league on the power play is pretty good for the team that Colorado has built this season. But those numbrs could always improve and be better and Bednar and crew definitely know it.
Colorado is a team that should want to be in the top 10 if not the top 5 when it comes to their power play. They know what they are capable of, they know that they can put the puck in the net frequently, they know how to do their job and know how to do it well. It is just on the players to execute.
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Tyler Miller is a 26-year-old Sports Journalist who has had a passion for writing ever since graduating from Georgia Southern University with a Journalism degree in 2022. Tyler has been writing about sports for going on 8 years now. Tyler has been a hockey fan for years and looks forward to covering the Colorado Avalanche for On SI. Tyler also has had experience writing for FanSided in the past where he was a site expert and a contributor across different sites.