Inside the Avs' Locker Room: Why has the power play been so good?

TAMPA, Fla. – Hello from the Fairfield in St. Petersburg, just across the pond from Tampa, where YOUR Avalanche play the No. 1 Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. What is Amalie, you ask? It’s a motor oil.

Two….wait for it….well-oiled machines will meet tonight in a showdown of sorts. Tampa Bay is a damn good hockey club and the Avs will have to bring their ‘A’ game to beat these guys.

A couple of lineup notes for the Avs: Sven Andrighetto is back in. He’ll replace Gabriel Bourque up front, probably on a line with Kamenev and Calvert.

Semyon Varlamov is back in net, after allowing six goals to Pittsburgh Tuesday night. The Three-Headed Monster is back together. Coach Jared Bednar spent some time visiting with Mikko Rantanen at the morning skate. If I had to guess what they were talking about, I’d say that Bednar wants him to keep putting pucks on net, not just looking for the first pass. Not a big deal, as Rants is the top-scoring player in the league right now.

Louis Domingue will be in goal for Tampa Bay, with No. 1 Andrei Vasilevski sidelined with a broken foot.

This will finish up the four-game road swing. Friday, the team has a beach volleyball game. I hear Big Z was a force.

I have four clips for your auditory pleasure from the room this morning. It’s just uncut audio with players and Bednar.

Let’s start with a visit with Tyson Barrie, a conversation that starts off with my asking him what’s made the power play so good this year. Colorado, after all, has the top-ranked PP unit in the league, at 30.9 percent.

Barrie:

Next up, Mikko Rantanen, talking about the PP as well and getting up for the Bolts:

Next up, Erik Johnson, talking about the PP and whether he likes the goalie interference calls of today.

Finally, coach Bednar on tonight’s game: