Gabriel Landeskog’s early-season patience is paying off as the Avalanche’s once-struggling power play has surged into one of the NHL’s most effective units down the stretch.
DENVER — If there’s anyone who understands patience, it’s Gabriel Landeskog.
Back on November 26, The Hockey News pressed the captain on the struggling power play of the Colorado Avalanche—a unit that, at the time, was underperforming despite the team’s dominant start. Colorado owned a 16-1-5 record but found itself stuck in the middle of the league pack on the man advantage, tied for 15th alongside the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, and New Jersey Devils.
Even then, Landeskog wasn’t concerned.
“The power play is one of the things we continue to work on,” Landeskog stated. “We’re understanding where we’re at; we’re understand that if our power play can start chipping in goals on a nightly basis, obviously that makes a big difference.
But despite the inconsistency—and the growing outside criticism—Landeskog never wavered in his belief that the unit would eventually find its rhythm.
“It’s early on in the season; we’re working on a few things and trying a couple different looks. It’s one of the things when it’s not working, it’s easy to start overthinking it, start pointing fingers, try to re-invent the wheel, but at the end of the day, sometimes you just got to stick with it.
“Sometimes there are tweaks to be made we make them no problem, but I think the power play is kind of the same as the rest of our game as we continue to work on it; we’re going to find ways (to succeed), and I’m not worried about it.”
Frustration to Fuel
As the season progressed, however, the struggles only intensified. By the time the Olympic break arrived, Colorado’s power play had fallen off a cliff—ranking 32nd in the NHL, converting at just 15–15.4%. For a roster loaded with elite talent, it was one of the league’s most puzzling storylines.
It wasn’t just a slump—it was a glaring weakness on an otherwise dominant team.
And then, almost suddenly, everything changed.
Since the Olympic break, the Avalanche have flipped the script entirely, scoring 11 power-play goals over their last 18 games—a scorching 27.6% conversion rate that ranks fifth-best in the NHL over that stretch.
The puck movement is crisper. The entries are cleaner. The confidence—perhaps most importantly—is back.
What was once a liability has quickly become a legitimate weapon heading into the postseason.
Staying the Course Pays Off
When The Hockey News circled back with Landeskog, even joking about the constant early-season questions surrounding the power play, the captain’s response was exactly what you’d expect—measured, team-first, and rooted in process over panic.
"I think it just feels good for the guys," he stated after morning skate. "(They) put in a lot of hard work throughout the course of the season. And yes, there were times where it wasn't clicking for different reasons, but give credit to the guys, they've worked super hard at it, talked a bunch about it, watched a bunch of video."
For Landeskog, the turnaround wasn’t surprising—it was inevitable.
With the level of skill on Colorado’s top unit, it was always more a matter of when, not if, the breakthrough would come.
"It's good to see the puck go in the back of the net. No doubt."
Head coach Jared Bednar echoed a similar sentiment Monday night following the Colorado Avalanche’s 9–2 rout of the Calgary Flames, a game in which the power play converted on three of four opportunities.
“Getting them all on the same page with a plan, which we (tried) multiple times before,” Bednar said. “It’s ultimately buy-in, execution; I think there’s a list of probably eight or 10 things there. If you make them 5% better, it affects your power play in a big way.”
As previously noted, the Olympic break provided a much-needed reset, allowing the group to move past earlier frustrations and refocus.
“Cleaned the slate. Started to chip in some goals right away, and a lot of it is mindset and mentality from the guys on the ice. It’s just ownership is what it is. It’s taking accountability for what you’re trying to do and holding it to a high standard.”
Peaking at the Right Time
Now, with the playoffs looming, the Avalanche appear to be rounding into form in every phase of the game. And if their power play continues to produce at this level, it could be the difference-maker in a deep postseason run.
For a team with championship aspirations, patience didn’t just pay off—it may have unlocked their most dangerous version yet.
The Avalanche take on the Vancouver Canucks tonight from Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. local time.
