Avalanche not stressed over poor team shooting percentage: 'It will come'
Jan. 4—DENVER — Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar quickly summarized one of the biggest issues facing his team near the midway point of the season.
"We're not putting (pucks) in the back of the net easily," Bednar said.
Statistics back it up. The defending Stanley Cup champions, entering a Thursday night road game at Vancouver, are tied for fifth worst in the NHL for team shooting percentage at 8.7%. Colorado has played in 36 games and touts just one double-digit goal scorer (Mikko Rantanen, 25).
That power vacuum is a contributing factor to the Avs' current four game losing streak. But the team isn't sweating the lack of production. And they're taking active steps to increase the number of quality scoring chances.
"I think there's a marginal turnaround that will come," Bednar said. "There are other things that are factors. ... If I go cruising past the goalie's eyesight at the right time while you're shooting the puck from a grade-A scoring chance, I'm not on the scoresheet, but your shooting percentage just went up."
Rantanen, predictably, leads the team in shooting percentage at a whopping 19.1 (25 goals on 131 shots). He explained why the Avalanche sometimes lacks a strong net-front presence to help with shot creation and finishing.
"It's mental. If the puck goes high into the O-Zone, you've got to go to net," Rantanen said. "We've had a habit after Christmas of getting off the net to get a puck touch from the (defense). Or our D has a chance to shoot from the point and then we leave the net-front to get the puck. That's not how you play in this league.
"If you look at the best teams, and how they score, it's a lot of shots from the point and then in the dirty area at the net-front. We can still improve on that."
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Cale Makar is among the Avalanche players struggling to put pucks in the net. He won the Norris Trophy last year converting 11.7% of his total shots on goal. This season, his clip is down to 7.6%, with nine goals on 118 shots.
"It's tough when you go through a stretch of (December) where pretty much the only guy that scores is Mikko," Makar said. "When the bounces aren't just going their way for other guys, you have to find a way to manage that. Mikko was our main threat that whole month.
"It will come. I don't think guys are worried about scoring goals."
Injury updates
Injured Avalanche forwards Evan Rodrigues (upper body) and Valeri Nichushkin (ankle) will travel on Colorado's upcoming road trip to Vancouver and Edmonton. They were on the ice Wednesday in red no-contact sweaters separate from practice at the team's training facility. Nichushkin and Rodrigues are both considered day-to-day for return.
"We'll just see how it goes," Bednar said. "No guarantees that (they) will play or won't play."
What's next: The Avalanche (19-14-3) travel to face the Vancouver Canucks at 8 p.m. Thursday (Altitude TV) at Rogers Arena.
