MORNING SKATE NOTES
Head coach André Tourigny shared no changes to the lineup or lines going into tonight’s game.
Facing the Avalanche
Colorado is the top team in the NHL for many reasons, and they’re an incredibly difficult team to face. From averaging the most goals per game in the league while shutting teams down defensively, the Avalanche lead many statistical categories. Tourigny discussed their challenges and what the Mammoth are focused on.
“It’s a team who, if you look at all the numbers, they dominate in every category offensively,” Tourigny explained. “They can attack you off the rush, they attack you, no doubt about it, from their o-zone play, their forecheck. Their puck management is really, really good which is unique. Normally, when you have a team that generates that kind of offense, the puck management can be a challenge for those teams. Colorado is the exception. They’re really good on their puck handling, their puck management, their puck protection. And (they) put a ton of traffic at their net.
“…for us it’ll be about our urgency defensively,” Tourigny continued. “Cutting the middle of the ice. They make a lot of plays through the middle of the ice in all three zones so that will be important for us.”
The Second Power Play
The Mammoth’s second power play unit is heating up. Sean Durzi, Barrett Hayton, Daniil But, Michael Carcone, and Lawson Crouse make up the second unit, and the group has scored three times in the last five games. Tourigny shared what has made them effective.
“The second unit plays well because they put pucks at the net, they keep it simple, they create a lot of movement,” Tourigny said. “And they’re really good on their loose puck recovery. That’s what they do really (well).”