DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche have every right to feel a bit stifled. Known for their speed and prodigious goal production, it hasn't been on full display so far in the playoffs.
The highest-scoring, fastest-flying team on the ice this season just can't seem to completely solve the lock-down, muck-up-the-middle approach of the Los Angeles Kings. The top five point producers in the regular season for Colorado have yet to find
the back of the net.
Still, the Avalanche lead the first-round series 2-0 heading to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday. They have won both games in 2-1 fashion, including an OT thriller, which highlights their belief that whether a game or a series is low scoring or high scoring, they are built for both.
“You definitely can get frustrated during the regular season, but playoffs … there’s no time for that,” said MacKinnon, who has an assist through two games after leading the league with 53 goals in the regular season. “You've got to be 100% in, team-player positive, and you’ve just got to stick with it. I feel like we’re doing a lot of good things and we’re up to it. It's low-scoring games, but it’s not about the amount of goals. Just got to get some wins."
Colorado led the league in goals per game (3.63), shots per game (33.7) and 5-on-5 scoring in the regular season but the Presidents' Trophy winners also allowed the fewest goals behind their goalie tandem, which currently has Scott Wedgewood starring in the lead role.
“We’re comfortable playing these games,” said captain Gabriel Landeskog, who tied Tuesday's game with 3:35 left in regulation. "If you get a little impatient with it, you start forcing plays. We just kind of kept it going. Kept trusting our forecheck, and finally, we ended up getting rewarded for it.”
The Kings may be in a hole, but trust their process. A grind-it-out, goals-hard-to-come-by series is definitely their kind of series. Especially with Anton Forsberg in net. He's stop 64 of 68 shots through two games.
“We’re playing a brand of hockey that gives us a chance to win," said Kings interim coach D.J. Smith, who was showered by shattered glass on the bench in the second period Tuesday after fans pushed the panel in celebration. "Hockey’s so close and night-to-night, you win by a goal, lose by a goal. We’ve done that all year.
“We haven’t maybe had some bounces but that’s the kind of game you can win with," he said. "That’s a testament to the guys and how they’re digging in. Now maybe just have a little more confidence at home with the puck, but you can’t forget the style of play that we’re playing.”
They're bottling up the Avalanche on the power play, with Colorado 0 for 7 in the series. That's been an area of consternation at times throughout the season.
“It may look real simple — it’s no different than what they’re doing — but you’ve got to repeat certain things enough so your odds go up at putting one in the back of the net,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I still think we’ve got another step in our game that we can ramp up to. So we've just got to go out and try to better our performances at home and now on the road.”
The Avalanche have shown their defensive grit by notching the second-most blocks in the postseason through Tuesday night. They've flashed their offensive firepower, too, with the the second-most total shot attempts.
“We know we can play different styles,” said Wedgewood, who's turned back 48 of 50 shots. “It’s going to be tough going to (their) building. They're going to have their crowd and their emotions. Go in there and do the same thing, hopefully, take another one or two, and end it or come back here and do it again.”
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
