The Colorado Avalanche is seeing a problem resurface from the regular season that was a bit of a concern. Colorado’s power-play has not scored in three games during the playoffs. In nine opportunities, they have failed to put the puck in the back of the net. To end the regular season, the Avalanche were one of the most dominant forces on the man advantage. In fact, they finished March in the top-ten, a flip-flop of the narrative all season. But what had changed? Why did this issue resurface during the season’s crucial period? Here, we look at what could be the issue.

Last season

Last season, the Avalanche failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs. They fell to the Dallas Stars in seven games, ultimately blaming the fall on Ray Bennett. They blamed him as the coach in charge of the power play and Colorado failing to take advantage of their chances. Colorado converted only 13.6 percent of their chances in seven games (3/22). Former Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol replaced him later in the summer, but the Avs saw very little change.

This season

This season was no different. Colorado hovered at the bottom of the NHL in their power play, sitting around 15 percent for most of the season. The biggest change was after the trade deadline when the Avalanche acquired Nazem Kadri. The Avs saw an immediate payoff, converting around 25 percent of their chances every game. Colorado saw a decline in its when Kadri got a hand injury against the St. Louis Blues on April 7th.


During Kadri’s absence from the team, the Avs went 2-for-15 on the power play in five games. Since his return in the playoffs, Colorado has not scored in nine chances on the power play. I think his finger is making him overly cautious to handle to puck. Kadri has only two shots on goal in three games, and his finger could make it difficult to shoot. His quickness is not there, and his confidence is not there. But it is also on the rest of the team to make up for him. That is extremely tough to do. Kadri played through a broken thumb in 2022, but fingers can be different. More power rests on the fingers, depending on the shot. So until Kadri’s hand heals, fans may see poor numbers on the power play for the Avalanche.