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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t find a way to click, they\u2019ll come up short in their quest for Lord Stanley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colorado\u2019s Unprecedented Failure<\/p>\n
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\u2019t find a way to score on the man advantage. Currently, they are converting at a little over 16 percent<\/a>. This ranks 26th in the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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<\/a> or above. They haven\u2019t had a season outside of the top ten in league power play percentage since the 2019-20 season. <\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n A Deeper Look at the Avalanche\u2019s Stats<\/p>\n At -five-on-five, there isn\u2019t a question of Colorado\u2019s 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.\u00a0 <\/p>\n According to MoneyPuck<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n One reason why this success may not carry over is that they are simply not drawing enough penalties; but that\u2019s easily not the case since they have the fourth most power play opportunities in the NHL.<\/p>\n The next stat to look at was faceoff percentage. A team that doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Numbers Don\u2019t Lie<\/p>\n After showing some of the stats that question the struggles of this power play, here\u2019s where there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Teams have been responding to the Avs\u2019 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<\/a>, Cale Makar<\/a>, and Martin Necas<\/a> all to try and create one-on-one situations while taking away their greatest asset, their skating.\u00a0<\/p>\n Zone Entries Are Problematic<\/p>\n Those who have been watching the Avalanche this season know that the issue isn\u2019t just settling for poor shots. While it is part of the problem, there are still a handful of issues that need to be adjusted.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019t outmatched on the outside with speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Colorado Avalanche have spent the entire season looking like one of the best teams of the century\u2026until they get a power play, when stuff like this starts happening: pic.twitter.com\/66Njyu9Ig4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Robert Tiffin (@RobertTiffin) December 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019t a threat to beat them with their legs. Either way, it forces a play to be made that puts the puck in harm\u2019s way and causes turnovers.\u00a0<\/p>\n In-Zone Worries<\/p>\n With Colorado moving out Mikko Rantanen<\/a> for Martin Necas, it has solidified Colorado\u2019s 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<\/a> 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\u2019t generate the same amount of defensive attention as Rantanen once did.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n An underrated but necessary part of what makes power plays successful is a good screen that impedes the goalie\u2019s vision. A goalie\u2019s ability to stop the puck depends heavily on the puck\u2019s visibility. Even if the netminder can make a save, it has to be a split-second reaction, which creates rebounds and goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Turnovers Have Become a Killer\u00a0<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Avalanche Know That Playoffs Are What Matter<\/p>\n 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\u2019 Trophy as the league\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/a><\/p>\n