After 10, Avs rate far less than 10
To evaluate the Avalanche’s first 10 games of the season, Friday’s 7-0 loss to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights must be included. It was game No. 10, after all, so the lopsided loss must count — regardless of how much it skews the body of work.
The fact is Colorado entered Saturday’s game against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5-5 and only slightly improved statistically from last season’s club-record low 48-point campaign, when it also began 5-5. To wit:
• In last season’s 30-team NHL, the Avs were last in average goals scored (2.01) and goals allowed (3.37).
• Through 10 games in this season’s 31team league, the Avs were 20th in scoring (2.80) and 16th in defense (3.10).
The jump from 30th to 20th in scoring is impressive. This team is undoubtedly better offensively. But going from 30th to 16th in goals against (3.37 to 3.10) still means you’re bad defensively.
In special teams, the Avs also have shown slight improvement. They’ve improved from 12.6 percent to 14.0 percent in the power play, and 76.6 to 78.0 percent in penalty killing. But still, they ranked 24th in both entering Saturday.
Back to Friday’s disaster in the desert. It reminded me of the unforgettable 10-1 loss on Dec. 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal last season. I had my game story finished before the second-period buzzer. The drubbing made Colorado 7-14-1 at the time, after it began 3-1-0.
The Avs got off to a 4-1 start this season. They were on a 1-4 stretch entering Saturday.
Has anything really changed?
The Avs are more fun to watch. They attack as much as they defend. They are firing more shots on net (31.6 average) than allowing (30.4) — marking the first time this team is on the plus side of those numbers since 2011-12. That’s a good sign, but the scoring is still down. As of Saturday, 70 NHL players had produced four goals — but none donning an Avalanche sweater. Six Avs forwards were tied with three.
And then there’s Nathan Mackinnon, the most natural goal scorer on the team. He had one goal in his first 10 games, and produced just 17 goals in his last 100 games dating to 2015-16. So much more is expected from Mackinnon, the 2014 Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year. He had 24 goals in 82 games that season, but has since dramatically slipped.
For things to really improve with the Avs, Mackinnon has to lead the pack. The first selection of the 2013 draft has to a game-changer, which he was Saturday night. There’s a handful of other top-end players who have more to offer than what they’ve produced thus far, but Mackinnon is definitely atop that list.
Footnote. Saturday’s game at the Pepsi Center wasn’t a popular one with the Avalanche and Blackhawks, both playing on consecutive nights before a significant break. Following the Avs’ back-to-back set, Colorado doesn’t play again until Thursday, when it hosts Carolina. The Blackhawks are in a similar situation. They lost to visiting Nashville 2-1 on Friday, flew to Denver for Saturday’s game against the Avs and won’t play again until Wednesday, against visiting Philadelphia. Hockey players can handle back-to-back games, even with travel. But they don’t fancy long breaks.