Patrick Roy, when discussing how Avs system is working (or is supposed to work) seem to stress two points.

Offensively, Avs take fewer shots but the ones they take are high quality shots.

Defensively, Avs try to make the opposition take shots from the outside, which our goalie has a larger chance of saving.

Avs goalies having a high save percentage and Avs forwards having a high ES shooting percentage under Patrick Roy could support this. They have in fact scored more often and saved more pucks than most other teams.

I decided to look at it from another angle. I decided to look at what shot attempts for and against consist of. If Avs take better quality shots, their shots on goal/shot attempt ratio should be high. If they are better at keeping the opposition to the outside, the ratio of shots on goal/shot attempts for the opposition should be low since logic tells us shots from the outside should be blocked or miss the net more often.

The results:

Avs are third in the league when it comes to shots on goal/shot attempts for with 55.6% (Detroit 56%, Chicago 55,7%). League average is 53.5%. This seem to support the position that either Avs take better shots than most teams do or that their shooters are more accurate than those of other teams (Erik Johnson approves of this message).

When it comes to shots against Avs, Avs are about average in all categories. Opponents hit the net 53.4% (league average 53.6%), Avs block 25% of shots (league average 25.6%). Opponents miss the net 21.6% of the time (league average 20,8%). There is no support for the position that Avs force the opposition to take more low percentage shot.

If Avs defensive system is continuing to allow as many shots against as they are and there is no reason to believe the shots they allow are less likely to result in a goal, Avs are going to have to rely on outscoring and out-Varlying their problems because shot suppression will be this teams Achilles heel. As tired as the phrase unsustainable is, it seems like an apt word to describe how Avs play defense.