Tuesday, the Colorado Avalanche begins the team’s “15 of 20 on the road” stretch that will last until Saturday Dec. 5. Colorado starts with two games in Florida, first at the Panthers, then at defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay on Thursday before heading to Carolina on Friday.
Colorado is off to a disappointing start at 2-4-1, and has struggled equally at home (1-3-1) as on the road (1-1-0). With just five points on the season, the Avs are last in the division and already six points behind the three teams above them in the standings – the Jets, Blues and Wild.
Patrick Roy’s team has plenty to work on in the early going, but these three things stand out as primary areas to watch as they begin the first leg of this long stretch (mostly) away from home.
Duchene/Iginla productivity
Combining for four goals and three assists, it doesn’t seem like the productivity is all that bad between Matt Duchene and Jarome Iginla. Looking deeper in to the advanced statistics, however, the duo gets outshot and out-possessed more than anyone on the ice.
The Avalanche are still trying to find a perfect fit for the left wing on this line, which can be frustrating for all involved, considering that they have the makings of a potent first line. Yet without a consistent third piece, they do not seem to be getting in to any sort of rhythm together.
Head coach Patrick Roy has been matching the Duchene/Iginla line against other teams’ third lines recently. Ideally, matching lines in this way should provide a substantial advantage for the Avalanche, but has yet to make much of an impact. Colorado needs both Duchene and Iginla to turn up their level of play and produce in all three zones of the ice in order to succeed, not to mention finding a consistent third wheel.
Importance of Tyson Barrie
It was clear that the Avalanche’s defensive structure was severely weakened without the presence of Tyson Barrie in the last three games due to his suspension. In the Avs’ most recent loss against Columbus, there were several defensive lapses that lead to goals for the Blue Jackets.
Had Barrie been in the lineup, limiting the ice-time of the weaker defensive parings and having Barrie’s sound defense on the ice could have prevented these errors. It’s not saying that Barrie has played exceptional defense this season, but rather, the alternative options in Barrie’s place have been troubling.
His offensive capabilities were missed as well, particularly on the power play. His ability to lead the offensive rush and help offensive momentum will be crucial for the Avalanche as they try to string together some wins and return to contention.
Special Teams
So far this season, the Avalanche have had some of the better special teams play in all of the NHL. The Avs are currently fourth in the NHL in power play at 25 percent success rate, which is a vast improvement over last season where they finished 29th in the league with a lousy 15 percent.
The penalty kill has been strong as well, which is not much of a surprise since it was one of the few bright spots for the Avalanche last season. At fifth in the league, (exactly where they finished the 2014-15 season) the Avalanche have been efficient in this category, killing 88.9% of their penalties this season.
If Colorado can maintain these levels of special teams efficiency, they can dedicate focus on improving other aspects of their game, ultimately making the Avalanche better as a whole.