The Colorado Avalanche have been the best team in the NHL to start the season. With more than a ten-point gap between them and second place in the league standings, the Avs are the clear-cut favorites to make a run in the playoffs.
Colorado ranks near the top of the league in almost every statistical category except one. The power play has become a problem. If they can’t find a way to click, they’ll come up short in their quest for Lord Stanley.
Colorado’s Unprecedented Failure
The Avalanche have been the highest scoring team in the league with ease. Still, it remains a mystery how a team with such a high-flying offense and a plethora of skill can’t find a way to score on the man advantage. Currently, they are converting at a little over 16 percent. This ranks 26th in the league.
It’s not like this is a team that has struggled in the past with a man up. The Avs have finished the past four seasons at 24 percent or above. They haven’t had a season outside of the top ten in league power play percentage since the 2019-20 season.
Still 40-plus games into the season, they only have four regulation losses. All of those have come while on the road. So now, how is this team struggling to find a way to score five-on-four?
A Deeper Look at the Avalanche’s Stats
At -five-on-five, there isn’t a question of Colorado’s dominance. Along with being the highest-scoring team in the league, they also shoot the puck more than any other team. Not only do they shoot the puck, but they also generate the best scoring opportunities from high-danger areas.
According to MoneyPuck, the Avs lead the league in high danger shots. This means they are finding soft areas for quality chances better than anyone else at even strength.
One reason why this success may not carry over is that they are simply not drawing enough penalties; but that’s easily not the case since they have the fourth most power play opportunities in the NHL.
The next stat to look at was faceoff percentage. A team that doesn’t win a high rate of faceoffs on the power play loses valuable time trying to regain possession if the puck is cleared. Yet again, that isn’t the problem. Colorado has the highest win percentage in faceoffs five-on-four. They come in at 62 percent with a man up compared to just 50 percent while being at even strength.
Numbers Don’t Lie
After showing some of the stats that question the struggles of this power play, here’s where there’s inconsistency. At five on five, Colorado is a team that attacks the middle of the ice with speed and puts defenses on their heels. With power plays being much less fluid and more of a setup, it has created issues with their scoring this season.
While leading the league in high danger shots at even strength, they are 25th in the same category on the power play. The lack of Grade A chances has forced them into outside shots with minimal traffic screening the goalie.
Teams have been responding to the Avs’ willingness to play on the outside by packing the middle of the ice. This prevents the ability to make any cross-ice passes. Teams are forcing Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas all to try and create one-on-one situations while taking away their greatest asset, their skating.
Zone Entries Are Problematic
Those who have been watching the Avalanche this season know that the issue isn’t just settling for poor shots. While it is part of the problem, there are still a handful of issues that need to be adjusted.
There is a clear difference in the success rate of their zone entries when coming up the ice with speed vs without. NHL power plays have shifted towards a drop pass breakout that allows players to generate speed when entering the zone. This forces penalty kills to play more passively in the neutral zone, so they aren’t outmatched on the outside with speed.
The Colorado Avalanche have spent the entire season looking like one of the best teams of the century…until they get a power play, when stuff like this starts happening: pic.twitter.com/66Njyu9Ig4
— Robert Tiffin (@RobertTiffin) December 30, 2025
When Colorado comes up without speed, it allows the penalty kill to set up at their blue line and force plays that are low percentage. It is much easier as a defender to force a dump-in or a cross-ice pass through traffic when a player isn’t a threat to beat them with their legs. Either way, it forces a play to be made that puts the puck in harm’s way and causes turnovers.
In-Zone Worries
With Colorado moving out Mikko Rantanen for Martin Necas, it has solidified Colorado’s power play to be run mostly on the left side of the ice. With Necas and MacKinnon both being right-handed, as well as Makar, Brock Nelson now becomes the biggest threat as a left-handed shooter. While Nelson is tied for the lead in power-play goals on the team, he doesn’t generate the same amount of defensive attention as Rantanen once did.
With less of a dynamic threat on the right side of the ice, teams can put less of a focus on Nelson and focus more on the rest of the unit. The next issue comes from their lack of a net front presence.
An underrated but necessary part of what makes power plays successful is a good screen that impedes the goalie’s vision. A goalie’s ability to stop the puck depends heavily on the puck’s visibility. Even if the netminder can make a save, it has to be a split-second reaction, which creates rebounds and goals.
Yet again, the stats back up the film as the Avalanche rank in the bottom half of the league in rebound shots while being up five on four.
Turnovers Have Become a Killer
Another noticeable problem has become the turnovers. Colorado turns the puck over at the fourth-highest rate on the power play. Players are getting trapped around the blue line and are unwilling to take the puck into the neutral zone.
This is causing panic and poor decision-making. It has gotten to the point that these blue line turnovers are turning into odd-man rushes. Odd-man rushes lead to shorthanded goals. A killer come the postseason.
Avalanche Know That Playoffs Are What Matter
At the end of the day, Colorado still sits atop the league. For the rest of the regular season, Colorado will cruise their way into the playoffs. They are also easily the favorite for the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top team. They can finish last in power play efficiency without suffering major consequences. But the playoffs are where special teams come under a microscope.
Ryker going off on the power play is exactly how Avalanche nation feels. I don’t care how good Colorado has played through 41 games, power play failures costed the Avs two points yesterday and will become a major issue if not sorted come playoffs.pic.twitter.com/Bn8BFd768Y
— Avalanche Forever (@citchmook) January 5, 2026
When Colorado hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2022, they boasted a 32.8% conversion rate in the playoffs. That’s over double where they currently sit. This shows that once the game gets tighter, things will need to change. If the Avalanche want to climb to the top of the mountain again, they’ll need to conquer their power play demons.