DENVER (AP) — Star player Nathan MacKinnon and his Colorado Avalanche teammates have legitimate reasons to feel constrained. Their trademark speed and explosive scoring ability haven’t been fully unleashed during this playoff run.
The league’s most prolific offensive squad and quickest team during the regular season continues to struggle against Los Angeles Kings’ defensive system that clogs the neutral zone. Colorado’s top five regular season point leaders remain without a goal in the series.
However, the Avalanche maintain a commanding 2-0 advantage in their opening round matchup as they travel to Los Angeles for Thursday’s Game 3. Both victories came by identical 2-1 scores, including one overtime victory, demonstrating their versatility in different game situations.
“You definitely can get frustrated during the regular season, but playoffs … there’s no time for that,” said MacKinnon, who has an assist through two games after leading the league with 53 goals in the regular season. “You’ve got to be 100% in, team-player positive, and you’ve just got to stick with it. I feel like we’re doing a lot of good things and we’re up to it. It’s low-scoring games, but it’s not about the amount of goals. Just got to get some wins.”
During the regular season, Colorado topped the NHL in offensive categories including goals per game (3.63), shots per game (33.7) and even-strength scoring. The Presidents’ Trophy recipients also surrendered the fewest goals, with goaltender Scott Wedgewood currently handling starting duties.
“We’re comfortable playing these games,” said captain Gabriel Landeskog, who tied Tuesday’s game with 3:35 left in regulation. “If you get a little impatient with it, you start forcing plays. We just kind of kept it going. Kept trusting our forecheck, and finally, we ended up getting rewarded for it.”
While trailing in the series, the Kings remain confident in their approach. This grinding, defense-first style of hockey suits their identity perfectly, particularly with Anton Forsberg between the pipes. He’s turned away 64 of 68 shots across the first two contests.
“We’re playing a brand of hockey that gives us a chance to win,” said Kings interim coach D.J. Smith, who was showered by shattered glass on the bench in the second period Tuesday after fans pushed the panel in celebration. “Hockey’s so close and night-to-night, you win by a goal, lose by a goal. We’ve done that all year.”
“We haven’t maybe had some bounces but that’s the kind of game you can win with,” he said. “That’s a testament to the guys and how they’re digging in. Now maybe just have a little more confidence at home with the puck, but you can’t forget the style of play that we’re playing.”
Los Angeles has successfully neutralized Colorado’s power play opportunities, holding the Avalanche scoreless on seven man-advantage chances. Special teams have been a source of concern for Colorado throughout the season.
“It may look real simple — it’s no different than what they’re doing — but you’ve got to repeat certain things enough so your odds go up at putting one in the back of the net,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I still think we’ve got another step in our game that we can ramp up to. So we’ve just got to go out and try to better our performances at home and now on the road.”
Colorado has demonstrated defensive commitment by recording the second-highest blocked shot total in the playoffs through Tuesday. They’ve also generated significant offensive pressure, ranking second in total shot attempts.
“We know we can play different styles,” said Wedgewood, who’s stopped 48 of 50 shots. “It’s going to be tough going to (their) building. They’re going to have their crowd and their emotions. Go in there and do the same thing, hopefully, take another one or two, and end it or come back here and do it again.”
