The Colorado Avalanche penalty kill has been the sole reason for the team’s recent losses, which is disappointing, considering that at one point in the season it was one of the strongest areas of their game. In the last two games for Colorado, both losses, the Avalanche gave up five goals while on the penalty kill and another during a four-on-four situation. Not only has the penalty killing been subpar, the power play has not been producing either. The special teams will have to improve if the Avalanche want to continue their recent success.
In the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins the Avalanche were playing a nontraditional formation in their penalty kill. Instead of running a typical box or a diamond, the Avs had a 1-1-2 formation where the one person up top pressures the puck carrier and the one behind him stands back, keeping an eye on passing options and protecting the slot. This was problematic against the Penguins because they ran an umbrella power play, where the two wingers sit up high awaiting a one-time pass. The powerplay goal that Evgeni Malkin scored in the second period was an example of how the Avalanche penalty kill system was inadequate. In the screenshot below you can see the formation the Avalanche were in during the Malkin goal.
Photo courtesy of Root Sports Pittsburgh
On Saturday, the Avalanche will be up against the Washington Capitals, a team who has a 21.8% success rate on the power play this year, good for sixth in the league. The Capitals’ power play is and has been one of the strongest in the NHL and that has a lot to do with the effectiveness of Alex Ovechkin. Much like the Penguins’ power play, the Capitals keep wingers on the side awaiting a one-timer. Ovechkin likes to position himself around the top of the left circle in hopes of scoring goals identical to the one Evgeni Malkin scored on Thursday against the Avs. Colorado will need to be extra cautious and not get as many penalties as they have lately. More time in the box will allow Ovechkin too much time on the power play where he is most dangerous.
Head coach Patrick Roy seems to be attempting to outsmart other teams with the penalty kill system they have used, but lately it has been more detrimental than not. The Avalanche will have to have a much better showing on the special teams to be able to have more complete games, something they have strived for since the season began.
The Avalanche look to go 4-2 on the long seven game road trip in Washington Saturday at 5 p.m. MST. Then they wrap up the seven-game road trip Monday in Winnipeg before returning home for a game Wednesday the 25th against Ottawa.
