Whenever there is an opportunity to engage Colorado Avalanche fans beyond the confines of the arena, the conversation tends to orbit a familiar set of themes: admiration for the team’s dominance, confidence born of consistent winning, and—almost inevitably—a lingering concern about the power play. THE POWER PLAY ISN’T GOOD, BUT... The Avalanche rank 18th in the league on the power play, converting at a 15.7 percent rate—which, frankly, isn’t very good. Their biggest rival in the Central Division, the Dallas Stars, are operating at nearly double that efficiency on the man advantage. Viewed through that lens, there is legitimate reason for concern. The playoffs are still roughly four months away, but time has a way of moving quickly. Landeskog speaks to The Hockey News about the power play on 11/26. Nearly a month ago, The Hockey News [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/latest-news/landeskog-revives-a-legendary-2022-motto-while-discussing-the-power-play] asked about the power play and whether there was any concern over its relative lack of success. Here is what he had to say: “The power play is one of the things we continue to work on,” he 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. “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.” At the time of that conversation with Landeskog, the Avalanche’s power play conversion rate sat at 15.7 percent. As of the publication of this piece—and as noted earlier—that figure remains unchanged. In other words, the power play has neither improved nor declined; it has simply held steady. But here’s why we should hold hope for our power play units. THE AVS ARE NOT BEING COMPLACENT The Avalanche own the best record in the NHL at 24-2-7 through 33 regular-season games. If Colorado truly believed a high-end power play was unnecessary, there would be little reason to devote extensive practice time to special-teams work. The focus would rest almost exclusively on five-on-five play, with success assumed to follow. That, however, is not the approach being taken. Instead, head coach Jared Bednar continues to invest heavily in refining the power play, experimenting with line configurations, testing different personnel groupings, and exploring varied methods of zone entry and offensive penetration. The emphasis reflects a belief that improvement remains both possible and necessary, regardless of the standings. From the outside, frustration is understandable—and in some cases, warranted. Fans crave momentum, urgency, and excitement on every shift. That expectation is part of the bargain; passion is what defines fandom. TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES Inside the organization, however, the perspective is different. Players, coaches, and those working behind the scenes are focused on process rather than spectacle. Progress is rarely linear, and identifying what works often requires patience, repetition, and a willingness to tune out external noise. In moments like these, teams lean on their leadership—figures such as Landeskog—to keep the focus where it belongs. Brock Nelson gave the Avalanche power play a much-needed boost The Avalanche are 33 games into the season, with 49 remaining before the playoffs, and there’s a strong possibility the roster looks different by the trade deadline. One area to watch is third-line center. With Ross Colton seeing time down the middle rather than on the wing, it suggests Jared Bednar may not be fully sold on Jack Drury as the long-term 3C. That uncertainty could open the door to some intriguing possibilities as the deadline approaches. With that said, there’s no reason to panic about the power play. Giving it time to develop is both reasonable and necessary. The team’s continued success only affords more runway to get it right. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/514eb5b4-6b8c-4c9b-a14b-8a4469ca74f3.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
