Evan Rawal
In the Turning Point, we’ll take a look at one portion of the previous Colorado Avalanche game that changed the momentum of the night.
Special teams played a huge role in Wednesday night’s victory for the Avalanche. A lot of the usual suspects played on the penalty kill, but three new additions (Ross Colton, Miles Wood, and Fredrik Olofsson) all played significant minutes, and looked to fit in immediately. It’s only one game, and all three are relatively new to the role in the NHL, but for one night, they all contributed greatly to the success of the penalty kill.
Take a look at some of their best clips on the penalty kill below.
Ross Colton
Of the three new additions on the penalty kill, Colton was the one that “popped” the most. He played nearly three minutes on the PK, and stood out in a major way. His first shift, which you can see above, started with a big shot block, and ended with him knocking the puck out of mid-air for a clear.
One area he struggled at on the PK was winning face-offs, but for someone who hasn’t been used on the penalty kill since the AHL, he looked like he fit right in.
Miles Wood
Wood is the one that I’m most interested to watch over the course of a full season. One thing I noticed with him against the Kings was how strong he was on his clears, especially on the backhand. You can see one of those clears above, and it starts with him reading the play nicely and using his speed to beat the Kings player to the puck. His motor and length caused some problems for LA, and I want to see if teams adjust to his chaos. On the flip side, that chaos might be an issue for the Avalanche, but we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
Fredrik Olofsson
Of the three, Olofsson actually played the most, mostly paired with Logan O’Connor. He struggled to win face-offs all night long, but seemed to do just fine on the penalty kill. In the clip above, he does a nice job of pressuring Doughty when his first outlet isn’t available, and deflects his pass with his stick. That leads to some confusion for the Kings, and they eventually clear it themselves.
It’s only one game, and there’s a long way to go, but it’s about as strong a start as you could hope for from the new guys if you’re the Avalanche.