Who Will Save The Kittens?

by Joe @ MHH on Mar 19, 2008 7:46 AM MDT in News Comment 15 comments

The Avalanche power play has sucked all year. It was third-worst in the league for a couple of months, then dropped a spot, then dropped to the bottom for a long time. It's now back up to 29th overall (just barely ahead of those suckasses in St. Louis), but it still sucks.

It sucks so bad we even had to create a meme that involves killing poor, defenseless kittens just to express how bad it is. Only a monster would kill a kitten. Are the Avs monsters? You do the math.

I'll do the math. The Avalanche score on just 14% of their power play opportunities (43 goals in 308 chances), ten full percentage points below the best power play team in the league, Montreal. While Western Conference teams don't have as much success with the man advantage, Detroit leads with over 20% and half the other teams are above 17%.

Colorado ranks 20th in power play opportunities, but 29th in goals scored. The team with the least opportunities, Tampa Bay (257) has scored more goals (49) and therefore has a much better percentage (19.1%). Yes, that's right, Tampa Basement!

With a top power play line composed of Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny and John-Michael Liles, the Avalanche should have one of the most dominant PPs in the entire league. On paper, it matches up with (or surpasses) any other team's. But nobody seems to want to shoot, always passing off the responsibility to the guy next to them as time runs out.

Coach Quenneville thinks it's getting better, but it isn't. The Avs went 1-6 against Minnesota on Monday night.

Dater even called his bluff:

Quenneville said after Monday's loss that the power play "has been better the last few games."
But it couldn't have been much worse.

The simple fact is, the Colorado Avalanche---if they make the playoffs---will not succeed in the post-season without an effective, successful power play. They will need to match Montreal's output and start scoring every four chances, instead of the 1 per 7.5 that they currently achieve.

Do it for the kittens, guys. The kittens.

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Comments

But

Injuries Joe. Injuries.

Right I mean that is the ~~lazy~~ reason anything on the Avs doesn't work right...right?

by Jibblescribbits on Mar 19, 2008 8:38 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: But

Like the Avs' PP was best in the league early in the season before everybody got hurt or something.

by Joe @ MHH on Mar 19, 2008 8:40 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh and a Question?

Is that Théo saving the kitten in that picture?

by Jibblescribbits on Mar 19, 2008 8:39 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Oh...

That guy looks a lot like him, doesn't he?

by Joe @ MHH on Mar 19, 2008 8:40 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well

It's hard to tell without the cane and fedora

by Jibblescribbits on Mar 19, 2008 8:49 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Well

And the tattoos.

by Joe @ MHH on Mar 19, 2008 9:08 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

thank goodness

the kitten wasn't deflected

by David Driscoll-Carignan on Mar 19, 2008 9:19 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: thank goodness

How do you think it got in the well in the first place?

by Jibblescribbits on Mar 19, 2008 9:20 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

RE: thank goodness

That's one hell of a rebound.

by Joe @ MHH on Mar 19, 2008 9:46 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why it sucks

I keep seeing alot of too much passing posts. I want to comment on that.

Too much passing is only half of the truth. Passing is what makes or breaks a PP. Passing sets up the shots by getting the other team/goalie out of position for good shots. The problem is not so much "too much passing" as "too much meaningless passing".

Our passing is:

Slow - The puck stops too long before moving again. Couple reasons for this are slow decision making (Liles is a good example) and bad passes that need controling before being passed again (Arnason's is a good example). Quick movement keeps PKers off balance and allows the puck to be shot before lanes close. Our players aren't shooting because there is nowhere TO shoot.

Predictable:

A: The team RARELY passes across the ice, short passes dominate.
B: Conservative short passes lead behind the net, defense collapses and scoring chance is killed.
C: Why in the heck does this team try to cycle the puck along the boards with a man advantage.
D: Safe passes only. PKers know where the puck is going before the pass is made.

Lack of movement away from puck.

Never trust the lunch lady.

by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Mar 19, 2008 1:36 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Why it sucks

Good points. I think to sum up, the Avs PP puts ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE ON THE PENALTY KILLERS! Slow passes, bad passes, predictable passes, short passes, cycling with no pressure, safe passes...when can distill it to it's constituents but it boils down to not forcing the PK players to do something with risk attached to it. This is the NHL. Talent alone rarely generates goals, whether it's even strength or man advantage. Using talent and systems/plays to force the opposition into making mistakes: That is how you score goals. Nothing the Avs do on the PP force the penalty-killers into tough positions that would compromise the defensive scheme they are attempting to employ.

FFS, the Avs PP looks like a father-son game where the dads are taking it easy on the kids who happen to be down a man...

by Mike @ MHH on Mar 19, 2008 1:44 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm no Mathlete...

...but with the help of my trusty calculator I think I got this right - if the Avs had just an average power play - in the 17 percent range - that would mean 10 more goals scored this season. Doesn't sound like a ton...but in a race this tight, wouldn't 10 extra timely goals possibly have earned us another 3-5 valuable points?

This, along with the putrid PK, are the reasons Ted Sundquist must go - oops, sorry, got my scapegoats wrong. If Quenneville isn't canned, you can bet one or more of his assistants won't be back.

by Dan Winkler on Mar 19, 2008 1:40 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I've said it before

and I'll say it again, The Avs have the wrong Granato behind the bench running the power play unit....

by Mike @ MHH on Mar 19, 2008 1:45 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I propose changing the name

of the PP to the Kitten Disposal Unit(KDU), naturally some one else called it this in a game thread and i decided it was good enough to steal. Plus it gives of PP a cool, kick ass name to intimidate opposing teams while also making them look like they condone the disposal of kittens.

by Savage33 on Mar 20, 2008 7:06 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs