The stage is set for the Avs’ second round matchup: the Colorado Avalanche will face the Minnesota Wild for Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
A fresh change of pace from the Dallas Stars, it’ll be the first time these two teams have seen each other in the postseason since 2014. Avs fans remember it well: a knee-on-knee injury to Tyson Barrie shook the series and a heartbreaking Round 1 Game 7 OT loss decided it. It was a very different core back then save for then-rookie Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog.
Now on the heels of a sweep over the LA Kings, the Avs are gearing up for a tough matchup. The Wild ended Dallas’ season in six hard fought games with a big Game 6 performance from Quinn Hughes in particular.
Dallas couldn’t overcome their 5v5 deficiencies and injury troubles despite a dangerous power play.
Going one-for-eleven on the power play in the series against LA, the Avs are in an opposite position. Their 5v5 play was excellent and consistent inside tight games, especially when things were tightest at the start of the series.
They’ve been working on their power play all season. With 45 power play goals operating at 17.1%, their man-advantage finished 27th in the league. Though coming out of the Olympic break, it bumped to 16th in the league and 21.4% with encouraging trends following the trade deadline and the addition of Nazem Kadri.
Colorado’s power play looked dangerous in Game 2, got better as Game 1 went on, and Nathan MacKinnon finally got one to go in Game 4. It’s significant that it breaks through in a series-advancing game to put them up 1-0 after the first period. Timeliness matters too.
Keying in on the addition of Kadri, there’s no denying his ability to impact a power play.
In their 2022 run, the PP was ranked #1 through the playoffs with 20 power play goals over 20 games. Led by Landeskog and MacKinnon in goals, Mikko Rantanen in points tied with Cale Makar – Kadri also contributed two power play goals.
Kadri discussed some of the work the top unit is putting in on the power play ahead of the second round in a Q&A:
What kinds of things are you guys focusing on on the power play?
I feel like we had lots of opportunities, lots of looks. Nice to kind of cap off the series with a power play goal. So, just much of the same. I feel like if we keep that up, goals will start to come.
Looking at some of the most dangerous chances you created in the series, what were some of the things that you found were most effective?
I think puck pace, a little bit of movement to throw off the PK. That unpredictability aspect of it I think is key and I think we’re all good enough players to make individual plays, so just continue to have that puck pace and obviously take your attack mentality.
In waiting for that next round opponent, how much are you guys thinking about what that possible PK might look like?
I’m definitely watching the games and doing a bit of a pre-scout and just trying to spot some tendencies that they have. I think a lot of PKs are similar in a sense around the league. We’ll definitely look for some opportunities.
Knowing that the power play was a bit of a struggle point against Dallas last year, obviously you weren’t a part of that, what have those conversations been like, if at all? Is everyone just forward thinking or do you guys reflect on that as a group?
It hasn’t come up since I’ve been here, so I think the last couple of months our power play has been great, and that’s based on the fundamentals that we’re using out there.
With a couple of key pointers that we need to focus on, we continue to kind of set the tone in that regard. It’s always nice to see pucks hit the back of the net, but sometimes there’s a silver lining in not scoring and just creating opportunities and understanding that they’re going to be there.
When you reflect on what made the power play effective when you were here in 2022, do you ever consider what Mikko Rantanen’s role was on the power play and use some of that insight into ways that you can make it dangerous now?
Certainly. Absolutely. I mean, I watch that position that I’m in now. I kind of try to iso-cam some guys that are in the same position and guys that are really, really good in that position to see if I can just take away anything that I can use during a game. So I’m always looking for something new.
What do you think makes you most impactful on the man-advantage?
I think I can do a little bit of everything.
“Sick hands, smart,” Brent Burns added in the background.
Fast. I think I can shoot it, I can pass it. I’m going to stick you in the box there. I’ve typically had experience in that exact position too, so that always helps. Just looking to do whatever I can. Entries, I think I’m good on the entries.
How much does that unpredictability component factor into entries?
It’s important just to have different options off the same sets, so just being able to pick out different guys on the ice and enter through different areas and different positions. It’s hard for the PK to always know what’s coming, so it certainly makes it easier and I think everybody’s more than capable of making a play off the rush, so we just look to whoever’s open and give them the puck.
At 5v5, finding that impact offensively, what are some things you like about Nic Roy’s game?
I love the way he hangs onto it, he protects the puck really well, he’s got good vision, gets to the net, big body. He’s versatile and he’s able to use his body and he’s certainly got some underrated skill as well. So we’ve had some chemistry lately.
When you reflect on this LA series, what are some parts of your game that you’re proud of that might fly under the radar?
5-on-5 play. I feel like that’s been generating lots of opportunities and been in on a few goals. So I felt like my production could be more with a couple fortunate bounces, but I just look to build on that because as you advance, power plays are going to be more and more seldom, so 5-on-5 play’s key.
With respect to Anton Forsberg, I feel like games one and two starting that series, he was really hard to beat. What kind of discussions did you guys have as a group scouting the goaltender, maybe picking off vulnerabilities?
There’s always a pre-scout on the goaltender. I think guys have a pretty good understanding, but sometimes there’s good players in this league and they’re going to make saves. So that was certainly the case in the first series. I feel like we could have gotten away with a few more, a couple more goals maybe per game, but that’s kind of how it works. I think as the series unfolds, you start to find things that you didn’t see before and you can always utilize that.
In seeing that even a hot goalie isn’t infallible, how much does that impact confidence?
We got lots of talent in this room. I think everybody’s capable of picking a corner and taking advantage of scoring opportunities. When goaltenders are hot, it’s the cliché: pucks and bodies to the net. It’s really as simple as that because you never know how one goal is going to affect the goaltender’s play moving forward. Tips, deflections, rebounds – stuff like that.
Missing some time at the end of the season due to an injury to his finger, Kadri showed a slight reluctance to shoot in the LA series (on the power play in particular). The days off between the next round could be a huge blessing.
Ten of Dallas’ 15 goals against Minnesota came on the power play. Their passing plays inside the low triangle proved dangerous against Colorado last year too. Kadri can create down low plays, catch cross-crease passes, anticipate seams, jump on loose pucks, or act as a serious shooting threat from the circle, not so different from how Matt Duchene is used in Dallas. Kadri’s quick release is crucial.
Kadri is correct: as the playoffs wear on, calls will be fewer. Their details 5v5 will matter more than anything, but it’d be nice for the Avs to quiet the noise around special teams that has skulked about since last season, and Kadri can be a huge difference maker for them on the power play.
Minnesota will be its own beast. Jesper Wallstedt has been solid in net, Hughes and Brock Faber are huge offensive weapons on their backend, Matt Boldy shines in big games, and Marcus Foligno can cause havoc. They work hard on the breakout to attack with speed, so Colorado’s game between the bluelines will be important alongside their forechecking – plus, lane management to disrupt Minnesota’s attempts to cycle the puck (they love a low-to-high cycle to bait opponents high only to collapse and crash the middle).
The Avs have leverage with fast entries and quick strike attacks. Make Wallstedt make saves. Don’t overthink setting up inside the zone in search of the perfect play.
Contain Hughes. He’s patient with the puck, surgical, don’t give him too much time and space.
Colorado did great things in Round 1 with acute attention to detail and full buy-in across the board. Most teams have a game plan that includes shutting down Cale Makar, so I’d love to see Makar continue to break through after getting goals in back to back games to close out LA… especially with the great defensemen showdown (Hughes vs. Makar), but it was perhaps what Makar did defensively in Round 1 that I love the most. He was excellent on the backcheck making reads to close out plays and neutralize threats.
