The Avalanche has scored the second-most power-play goals in the NHL since Cale Makar joined Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen to form arguably the sport’s best three-headed monster.
Colorado is missing 40% of its first-choice power-play unit, and even top backup options are missing. And yet, the Avs are still eighth in the NHL this season in goals per game despite missing more than $20 million worth of forwards largely because the power play remains terrifying.
While Colorado’s proficiency is only third at 39.3%, the Avs have scored 11 power-play goals in eight games. That’s tied with New Jersey for the most, though the Devils have played two more games. It’s second to Ottawa in extra-man goals per game.
Everything starts with the holy trinity of Makar, MacKinnon and Rantanen. They are typically set up as the “outside three” in the 1-3-1 alignment, with Makar up top, MacKinnon on the left flank and Rantanen on the right.
Their chemistry is elite. Their skills are Hall of Fame quality. And the Avs are proving that no matter who ends up in the bumper and net front positions, those three guys will figure out how to maximize the unit’s effectiveness.
“You try to create multiple things you can run,” Rantanen said. “If they take certain plays away, we try to do other stuff. I think the hardest it gets for the penalty kill is when you are unpredictable.”
The Avs scored 68 times on the power play last year, good for second in the NHL behind Tampa Bay’s 71. With an obvious nod to the small sample size, Colorado is scoring at an even better rate in 2024-25, despite the missing pieces.
Ross Colton has replaced Jonathan Drouin in the middle (aka the bumper spot). With three guys who would play there (Valeri Nichushkin, Gabe Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen) all unavailable, Casey Mittelstadt is nominally the net-front guy. How Colton and Mittelstadt have played in those roles is very different than the guys they’ve replaced, but the results have been excellent.
“We have two good players out, with Drouin and Val, but we’ve also put two good players back in as well,” Rantanen said. “Different style of players a little bit, but if we have good players who have good hockey IQ like both of these guys have, there’s potential to be successful.”
Last season, MacKinnon led the Avs in power-play shots per 60 minutes. Nichushkin was second as the net-front guy. Makar was third. A lot of Nichushkin’s “shots” were deflections from a Makar, MacKinnon or Rantanen perimeter shot.
Nichushkin led the team with 16 extra-man goals on just 48 shots. Rantanen had 14, while MacKinnon had 10, in part because of an unexpectedly low 8.3% shooting percentage (yes, his 140-point, MVP season could have been even better).
MacKinnon is collecting 8.1 shots fewer per 60 minutes so far this season. Rantanen is down 3.8 shots per 60. Makar is shooting at about the same pace. They’ve combined for five power-play goals in eight games, but the trio was also tied for the NHL lead in extra-man points before the Friday schedule with seven each.
How? Because the man in the middle has gone from decoy to sniper. Drouin was 16th on the team in shots per 60 minutes on the power play last year, but putting him in the bumper in place of Ryan Johansen sparked a new level of creativity.
Drouin’s strength was manipulating the defenders, either pulling them to him or creating royal road passing lanes for MacKinnon and Rantanen. Colton has also been a revelation in that spot, but his approach is more direct.
Get open and let it rip. Colton has a team-leading four extra-man goals. They’re all one-timers, and all from the area between the two circles in the high slot. Ivan Ivan got less than two periods on PP1 against Utah in the Colton spot, and sure enough … he banged home a one-timer from the slot for his first NHL goal.
“Last year here was really the first year I’ve played (in the bumper spot),” Colton said. “Just working with (assistant coach Ray Bennett) and watching what (Drouin) does — it’s just trying to find ways to get open. There’s so much skill, and they’re going to move around. You don’t need a ton of it, but if you just have a little bit, they’re going to find you.
“Whether it’s in video or the pregame scout, or even when we come back to the bench, (MacKinnon) is going to be in my ear about where to be or where to go, and I’m just feeding off him.”
Meanwhile, Mittelstadt has only three shots on goal in more than 32 minutes of power-play time. He’s not standing in front of the goalie as much as the other guys would. He’s floating around the net more, often looking to receive the puck below the goal line and be a facilitator first. He has more assists (four) than shots with the man advantage.
The Avs have one of the NHL’s two zone-entry cheat codes in MacKinnon. Colorado and Edmonton (Connor McDavid) basically start every season with an advantage on the power play because entering the zone and getting set up cleanly is a huge part of any team’s success, and no teams do that better than the Avs and Oilers.
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But Colton and Mittelstadt have also been a big part of the sneakier part of power-play success. It’s incredibly rare for a team to score three times on its first shot of the power play like the Avs did against Boston earlier this season.
The very best power plays don’t just overwhelm opponents with skill. There is also will involved — namely, winning the battles when the puck is loose to prolong the offensive possession. Those wins are the essence of “doesn’t show up on the scoresheet” plays.
“Over the years, those (three) guys have really developed a pattern of how they want to play,” Bednar said of his trio of superstars. “There’s more movement, more creativity. It doesn’t happen by accident.
“I think they’ve been highly consistent. … It’s been dangerous. I think it’s probably been less predictable than in years past as well.”
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