DOVE VALLEY — The Colorado Avalanche power play, once a hallmark of their offensive identity, unraveled at the worst possible time last season—and may well have derailed another potential Stanley Cup run. In response, Colorado undertook a series of offseason adjustments, headlined by the dismissal of longtime assistant coach Ray Bennett. To fill the vacancy, they turned to former Seattle Kraken bench boss Dave Hakstol—a move signaling both continuity and fresh perspective. The Avalanche also sought to bolster their offensive depth, landing elite sharpshooter Victor Olofsson in free agency to reignite the team’s scoring touch. Victor Olofsson speaks with The Hockey News following Monday's practice. Why the Avs signed Olofsson Olofsson arrived in Denver with a reputation for his lethal one-timer, a skill that has defined much of his career. The Swedish winger owns a 13.5 percent career shooting percentage and has the ability to score from almost anywhere in the offensive zone. For a Colorado power play that has often lacked a true marksman, Olofsson has the potential to be a genuine difference maker. Surrounded by elite talents such as Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas, and Cale Makar, he provides the kind of finishing touch this unit has long been missing. Yet through six games, that breakthrough moment has yet to arrive. Although the Avalanche have opened the season with an impressive 5-0-1 record, their power play has struggled to find rhythm, converting on just 12 percent of its opportunities—good for 27th in the NHL. Only the Utah Mammoth, Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Philadelphia Flyers have performed worse with the man advantage. Following Monday’s practice at Family Sports Center, we caught up with Olofsson to discuss the contrasts between Colorado’s power play and that of his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights. “Yeah, that’s a good question,” Oloffson admitted. “I feel like obviously in both power plays there’s a lot of skill (involved). They play a little bit differently. I think this power play has probably a little bit more movement to it. Vegas is stationary in the way they set up and it’s been working for them. But yeah there’s a ton of skill in both power plays and it’s definitely fun to be a part of it and learn from both.” Although the power play hasn’t been a huge part of the spark so far, Olofsson is impressed with the work they’ve done and it’s only a matter of time before they start to mesh. “I think the looks have been pretty good,” he added. “We haven’t probably gotten the puck in the net as much as we want, but there’s definitely good looks, and I’m sure it’s going to be clicking here pretty soon. It’s gonna be a big factor for us the further in the season we go. The power play is always a big part of winning hockey games. “Right now we haven’t really been needing it so far. We’ve been playing very solidly, but there’s gonna be tight games where we need the power play to step up, but I have no worries about that.” Olofsson’s comments closely echo what head coach Jared Bednar told The Hockey News following Colorado’s 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins Saturday at Ball Arena. The goals haven’t come just yet, but the hard work and the message has been clear. “I think it’s a different view [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/game-day/takeaways-avalanche-extend-winning-streak-to-three-with-win-over-bruins] on the power plays (with assistant head coach Dave Hakstol), some different messaging," Bednar told The Hockey News. “It’s not that the messaging wasn't good before, it's just trying to add and grow our PP units with a different view. He's helping out our young guys and our forwards and doing some video with those guys. It's a new voice, a new perspective, a guy's that's been around, (he's) an experienced good coach. I can't say better or worse, it's just different, and I think the guys are refreshed with some of the messaging that he's getting. That's why I have faith in the power play; I like what they're talking about. It's a matter of getting together and gelling a little bit." Six games down, 76 still to go. If the Avalanche can look this dominant without their power play firing on all cylinders, just imagine what they’ll be once it does. Next Game The Avalanche have boarded their flight to Utah and will take on the Mammoth at Delta Center Tuesday night, with the game slated to begin at 8 p.m. local time.
