The Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup hopes hinge on more than just star center Nathan MacKinnon. To come back in their Western Conference final series against Vegas, the Avalanche need veteran forwards Martin Necas, Nazem Kadri and Brock Nelson to step up and provide desperately-needed offense.
As the Colorado Avalanche try to figure out how to climb out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference final, one thing is clear – they need better contributions from some of their well-paid forwards.
Specifically, we’re talking about star right winger Martin Necas, and centers Brock Nelson and Nazem Kadri. The trio has combined for exactly one assist in Colorado’s two games against the Golden Knights. And obviously, that’s not nearly good enough if the Avalanche are going to beat Vegas.
After putting up 11 points in his first nine Stanley Cup playoff games this year, Necas is still looking for his first point in the Western final. Meanwhile, after posting six points in his first nine playoff games this year, Kadri has just a single assist against Vegas. And Nelson had three points in nine games in the first two rounds, but he’s been held off the scoresheet completely in the Western final.
Avs superstar center Nathan MacKinnon needs to have the pressure taken off him, and that’s where Necas, Nelson, and Kadri factor in. Necas isn’t a secondary scorer, but Nelson and Kadri are secondary scorers for this deep and talented Avalanche team, and being virtually shut out by the Golden Knights means that Colorado’s veterans not named MacKinnon need to be doing much more than they’ve been doing in this Western final series.
Necas is one of the most skilled players in the league, but he’s been frustrated by Vegas’ defensive players. He excels at carrying the puck through the neutral zone and into high danger areas of the offensive zone, but Vegas has shut that down.
Nelson has struggled taking faceoffs, winning just 48.7 percent of his draws, and after he posted 33 goals and 65 points in 81 regular-season games, he’s been completely shut down on offense by the Golden Knights. He’s great at getting into the slot and in front of the net, but he’s been denied those spaces.
While Kadri has been one of Colorado’s most physically engaged players in this post-season, he hasn’t posted offense the way he did in the regular season, when he posted 50 points in 77 games. The Golden Knights have been quick to close down his time and space, and he hasn’t been able to adjust.
It’s not as if Necas, Kadri and Nelson are newcomers to the pressures that come with playoff action. Kadri is a Cup winner, and Necas and Nelson have both played many post-season games. So there’s really no excuse for them not to be producing at this time of year.
Other Avalanche players also need to step up, including winger Valeri Nichushkin (two goals and four points in 11 games, and only one point against the Golden Knights) and Artturi Lehkonen (three goals and six points in 11 games, and zero points against Vegas).
Regardless of who it is that needs to produce more offense, somebody other than MacKinnon has to make the Golden Knights pay. Otherwise, this could be a shockingly short Western final.
The Avalanche can’t depend solely on MacKinnon to provide all the scoring. They need players who can come through in the clutch, and thus far against the Golden Knights, that just hasn’t happened.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Necas, Kadri or Nelson who provides points. But somebody on the Avs has to come through in the remaining games of the Western final. Because if they can’t, the Avalanche are going to be severely disappointed when they blow a terrific opportunity to advance to the Cup final and win their fourth championship in franchise history.
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