After starting the season with six straight victories, the Colorado Avalanche haven’t scored a goal in their last two games. The team hasn’t been shut out in back-to-back games since December of 2016. That was Jared Bednar’s first season as head coach, and he was virtually an emergency signing after Patrick Roy left the team in the lurch. Even though the offense has struggled, there have still been some good signs for Colorado moving forward.
Johansen Creating More Chances
Following a pair of losses like Colorado’s, it’s hard to ignore the goose eggs, but there have been some good signs on the offensive side. One of them has come from Ryan Johansen, the second-line center that’s in his first season with the Avs after an offseason trade. He has put up four goals and an assist through the first eight games, but he’s also ramping up the scoring chances.
Over the past three games, Johansen has ripped 13 shots on goal. That is the most shots he’s had in a three-game stretch since Oct. 2015. To put that in perspective, that was two years before Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar even played a game at the University of Massachusetts. The six shots on goal in Colorado’s 4-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 29 were the most by Johansen in a single game since his seven shots on target on April 5, 2022. Johansen rattled off seven shots in that game on the way to the only hat trick of his career.
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Johansen put up at least five shots on goal in two of his last three games. In the previous three seasons, he only has four games where he managed at least five shots on target. That’s a good sign for Colorado, as Johansen was brought in to alleviate some of the pressure on the top line. It hasn’t resulted in goals over the last two games, but it shows Johansen is already comfortable with the Avalanche system.
Byram Makes Presence Felt
The Avalanche want Bowen Byram to be an everyday force on the blue line, and he’s starting to look the part. It’s no secret that he has been hampered by injuries over his first three seasons, never playing more than 42 games in a single campaign. He got off to a bit of a slow start in 2023-24, but the last few games have shown that the trust in the young defender is growing.
Byram’s time on ice has been ticking up over the past few games, to the point where he’s averaging more than 20 minutes per game over the past three contests. The scoring from Byram likely isn’t going to match the numbers of a guy like Makar, but the Avalanche absolutely need a talent like him on the ice. The depth of the defensive corps isn’t as great as Colorado’s group of forwards, making every minute Byram can deliver that much more important.
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The 22-year-old defenseman is also doing more of the little things. Through eight games, he has blocked 13 shots, and has checked in with 13 hits. Byram’s never been afraid of checking anybody, but the blocked shots are on pace to obliterate his previous career high of 54 set last season. The injury concerns aren’t going away, but he’s looked healthy and invested this season, and should continue to be a force every time he’s on the ice.
Avalanche Schedule Calms Down… For Now
Colorado’s road trips out to the East Coast generally bring a mixed bag of results, but at least the Avs will be at home in Ball Arena for six of their next eight games. The Avalanche have had just two home games this season where they scored a combined 10 goals, so they’ll be looking forward to some more contests at home. Despite the last couple of games, the usual suspects are performing well for Colorado. Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon have combined for nine goals and 19 points, while Makar has three goals and nine points.
The three-game road swing started with a 7-4 win over the New York Islanders, but was followed by the back-to-back games without a goal. That 2016-17 season as an abysmal campaign for the Avalanche, as they finished with the worst record in the NHL at 22-56-4. They were also the lowest scoring team, netting just 166 goals on the season. Colorado was shut out 12 times that season. To put it into perspective, the Avalanche were held scoreless just 16 times over the next six seasons.
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The Avs don’t have to worry about heading out east again until the calendar turns to 2024, but then it gets particularly nasty. Colorado has a stretch of 13 games in January and February where 11 of them will be on the road. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the westernmost opponent in that stretch. However, those games are a long way off, and the team looks to rebound from their recent stretch. At the very least, there were some positives to take from the recent stretch as Colorado gears up to return home.