Winning faceoffs fueled shots edge
The best way to put 54 shots on goal like the Avalanche did in Tuesday’s Game 1 overtime win over St. Louis?
Have the puck … all the time. The Avalanche went 34-19 at the face-off dot against the Blues, helping it control the offensive flow during a 3-2 victory.
Nazem Kadri went 8-1 (88.9%) and Nathan Mackinnon 11-12 (47.8%) to lead the Avalanche. Blues center Ryan O’reilly, who ranked 12th in the regular season at 56.8%, went 12-16 (42.9%).
“It helped us a lot,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Thursday morning. “We were winning O-zone face-offs and we were able to extend some time (in the
Blues’ zone). It helps, obviously, to be able to start with the puck. It saves you 10-15 seconds of chasing it around to get it back.”
Entering Game 2, Kadri was seventh in the NHL in face-off win rate (40-29 for 58%) and Mackinnon was 30th (51-53 for 49%).
Mackinnon’s rate for the playoffs, though, has improved after he was at 45.4% in the regular season.
“Huge improvement, especially in the playoffs,” Bednar said of No. 29. “He’s been outstanding. He has quick hands and he studies the face-offs like everybody else and digs in on them.”
Kadri has also been better, up from 49.7% in the regular season.
Continue to win the draws and the Avalanche will continue to control play in the Blues’ zone and continue to pepper goalie Jordan Binnington. Can he hold up facing a steady diet of 50-plus shots?
“It depends on what types of saves they are,” Bednar said prior to Game 2. “We’ve had games where we gave up 50 shots and it didn’t feel like it was overwhelming or a heavy workload for our goalie. We’ve seen (Binnington) play for long good stretches before. I believe it is sustainable depending on the situation.”
Entering Game 2, the Avalanche’s 46 shots per game led the NHL and its plus-93 shot differential was second-best behind Calgary (plus-112). The Avs were held well below that average in Thursday night’s loss.
Footnotes. Defenseman Sam Girard, seen entering the X-ray room after Game 1, was able to return to the lineup Thursday. … The series shifts to St. Louis for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday (6 p.m. Denver time) and Monday (7:30 p.m.). … Finishing with 119 regular-season points (second-most in the NHL) wasn’t enough for Bednar to be named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year). The finalists are Calgary’s Darryl Sutter, the New York Rangers’ Gerard Gallant and interim Florida coach Andrew Burnette.