What consistently looks like one of the more offensively powered NHL teams has struggled to score in recent games.
The Avalanche have 17 goals in six games in the month of March (3-2-1) — a disappointment for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations having played each of those games against teams currently on the outside of the playoff picture.
But Colorado pulled out two points on just two goals Wednesday. Gabe Landeskog scored with 38 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Avs (14-8-2) a 2-1 overtime victory over the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth game of nine straight at Ball Arena.
Despite the victory and outshooting the Coyotes 46-14 two nights after outshooting them 35-14 and losing 3-2, the Avs continue to search for that scoring prowess that catapulted them to the top of the Western Conference a season ago.
Colorado’s plus-32 shot differential against Arizona on Wednesday is a club record and most in the NHL this season.
All of those shots and even the return of superstar Nathan MacKinnon couldn’t get Colorado out of its scoring slump.
MacKinnon did perhaps everything he could. He had 10 shots on goal and was a jolt of energy from the opening faceoff. MacKinnon helped the Avs generate three shots in the first minute and eventually watched as teammates Andre Burakovsky and Brandon Saad paired up for the opening goal just 1:23 into the game.
His presence elevated his linemates. Landeskog had six shots and Mikko Rantanen had two. Colorado outshot Arizona 20-2 at 5-on-5 with MacKinnon on the ice.
But goaltender Antti Raanta continued to stymie the Avs — just as he did in the third period on Monday when he stopped all 16 shots he faced after entering the game in the third period for an injured Darcy Kuemper.
Raanta gave up just two goals in the 62 shots he faced in nearly four periods of play during the series against Colorado.
“Sometimes we play a little bit too much on the perimeter and we get shots from the outside,” Saad said of the Avalanche’s shooting barrage. “Unless you’re in the goalie’s eyes you’re not going to score those ones. I think we’re getting a lot of shots but maybe need a little more quality in our game.”
Colorado is doing all the right things defensively. Not only has it gone 14 straight games without allowing 30 shots on goal, but it has also held the Coyotes to just 28 total in two games. And this is without star defenseman Cale Makar in the lineup, who remains out with an upper-body injury.
The Coyotes did not have a shot on goal for over 23 minutes between the first and second periods. They failed to register an even-strength shot on goal for a stretch of 30:12.
“I’m proud of the way we played,” Bednar said. “When you look at the structure and competitiveness of the game, we were really good. We didn’t give up hardly any scoring chances.”
One of the bigger struggles which have played a part in the Avalanche’s lack of goals Wednesday was their power play. Despite having five opportunities and playing with the man-advantage for 9:55, Colorado generated just five shots.
Avs goaltender Philipp Grubauer had another relatively quiet night but was good when he needed to be. He stopped top young forwards Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on third-period breakaways to keep the game tied.
He also made two crucial saves while Colorado was on the power play.
“We have high expectations of our power play,” Landeskog said. “We got to keep sticking to it, keep working on it, keep talking. We’re watching video every single day and scouting the other team and seeing what we can do. We’re going to keep working.”
