Win: Power Play
One of the keys for the Blues this season will be their revamped power play. The Blues need to score more consistently for them to be a championship squad again.
Statistically, the Blues have had a good power play in recent years. The problem is they go games without a goal and then score a bunch strung together to put their percentage up higher.
I’d rather see them literally score once every third or fourth power play consistently as opposed to going 0-10 and then scoring on four straight power plays to get the same percentage. You have a much better chance to win each game if you’re scoring a power play goal almost every game.
With the firepower the team has spread across their two power play units, the Blues actually have every chance of doing just that if they get more comfortable shooting the puck. Even the announcers during the scrimmage brought up the fact the Blues passed up shots with the goalie pulled or on power plays.
There is no excuse now. You have one of the best pure shooters in Mike Hoffman. You have Ryan O’Reilly with laser precision vision and passing, Brayden Schenn as your workhorse and guys willing to shoot from the point in Torey Krug and David Perron.
The second unit is just as qualified. Robert Thomas can make the passes, Jaden Schwartz will work those corners and look for tips as will Tyler Bozak and then Vince Dunn and Colton Parayko will bomb from the blue line.
We need to see these power play units clicking. Even in the chance they do not score, they need to be moving the puck and making the Avalanche work.
If they can get a goal or two, that really helps things out.