The Colorado Avalanche have just two regulation losses through 30 games yet hold a slim lead in the Central Division.
As hot as Colorado has been — a 16-1-3 record in its last 20 games — it has just a two-point lead over the Dallas Stars in the division heading into Thursday night’s matchup against the Florida Panthers in Denver.
The Avalanche lead the NHL in average goals per game (3.93) and goals allowed (2.20), but one area in which they’re struggling is the power play. Colorado is 24th in power-play percentage (16.3) despite having the leading scorer in the league in Nathan MacKinnon (51 points on 24 goals and 27 assists).
Cale Makar, with 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists), is the leading scorer among NHL defensemen, and Martin Necas (41 points on 14 goals and 27 assists) is sixth in the NHL in scoring.
But all of those stats have not translated into consistent success with the man advantage.
“I can’t pinpoint it,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of the team’s troubles on the power play. “If I could, we’d have changed it already. We’re on our third different set of personnel, and I think it’s a matter of time before it clicks.”
Colorado was 1-for-4 on the power play at Nashville on Tuesday night, but that goal — scored by Makar — came with eight seconds left in regulation. The Predators won 4-3 in a shootout.
The Avs’ Scott Wedgewood returned to the net after missing a week with back tightness but was pulled in the shootout after Filip Forsberg crashed into him on Nashville’s second attempt. Wedgewood stayed in for the third round before the concussion spotter notified the on-ice officials that Wedgewood be removed from the game.
He is considered day-to-day.
Florida, meanwhile, will play the second game of a back-to-back set to begin a four-game road trip.
The Panthers recorded their third straight win with a 4-3 victory against the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday night. Carter Verhaeghe collected a goal and an assist to continue his strong play over the last week.
Verhaeghe missed Florida’s loss to Toronto on Dec. 2 to be with his wife for the birth of the couple’s first child but has gotten hot since returning for what turned out to be a 2-1 overtime loss to Nashville two nights later. He had his team’s lone goal in that game, followed that with a three-point performance in a win over Columbus (two goals, one assist), and scored another goal in Sunday’s victory over the New York Islanders.
“When he is getting his chances, he is putting it in the net, which is great,” teammate Seth Jones said. “But it all starts with his speed, his forecheck, his hitting ability, and his playmaking. He is a catalyst for our team; when he is playing well, we are playing well.”
Verhaeghe has 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists), tied for third on the Panthers in scoring with Anton Lundell (eight goals, 15 assists). Brad Marchand, who has 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists), leads Florida, while Sam Reinhart is second with 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) and Sam Bennett is fifth with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists).
