The Roy Report: Road Trips, Special Teams, and Making Good Choices

Welcome to the Roy Report! Every Wednesday, Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy peels back the curtain on the team during an in-depth radio interview on FM 104.3 The Fan. Even if you missed it, BSN Denver has your back, providing both a recap and analysis to keep you up to speed. 

Road Trip & Special Teams

Roy was understandably disappointed with the result last night, but overall, he’s pleased with how his team has been playing during the road trip.  He felt they competed very well in the Philadelphia game, then came back strong after giving up two goals in the first six minutes in Boston.  In Montreal, they managed the game well and played with swagger and confidence around the net, which made a big difference in the final result.  The two goals in 13 seconds from Nathan MacKinnon helped too.

However, special teams last night were the difference in the contest.  He felt the team started well, but turnovers on the Avs’ power play lead to Toronto’s first goal of the night.  As Roy stated, “You know it’s going to be a rough night when that happens.”  Toronto followed up by scoring on four of their five power play opportunities.  The coach felt the team didn’t make good decisions in their our own end, didn’t compete well, didn’t have good stick positioning, and didn’t play adequate defense, particularly on the penalty kill.

Even so, he’s overall very happy with the team’s PK.  If you overlook the four goals scored by Toronto last night and the three scored by the Panthers earlier in the year, the team has only allowed seven other man advantage goals.  When the goals are going in, they all go in, and he felt that last night was simply an off night for the penalty killers.

[Last night was brutal for the Avalanche PK.  It’s pretty clear Toronto scouted ahead, but their puck movement alone made them a hard team to stop.  Roy placed some of the blame on the team and some on Berra later in the interview, but what he failed to mention is that often, it’s the success of the goalie – not the team – that keeps the Avs PK afloat.  

Sure, you want your goalie to be your best penalty killer, but by and large, the Avs lean on their netminder to an unusually high degree.  If he has a bad game, the team’s going to have a really bad game.  The forwards and defensemen on the ice for the Avs PK are arguably more solid than they were last year, but they still have a ways to go to cement themselves as a top PK team in the league.  Even if the TOR game was simply an off-night, it was absolutely painful to watch and underscored a lot of the pre-existing issues with the team.  There’s room to clean up their play even on good nights, and the game served as a crystal clear reminder of that.]

Goaltending

The follow up question was about the role goaltending – specifically Reto Berra – had in the special teams issues last night.  Roy felt that it was a mix of Berra not making the saves and the team in front of him failing to help out.  He did give credit to the quick passing and overall good hockey they’re playing in Toronto right now, but the team made bad decisions defensively, especially with getting sticks in passing lanes and overall positioning.  The Leafs took advantage.

When it comes to Semyon Varlamov, the team is taking it slow and making sure he feels strong on the ice.  This is the second season his groin issues have been a problem, and it’s tough for him and the team to keep dealing with it.  They want to make sure his groin is solid before he resumes his netminding duties, and the team may need to reevaluate after the season.

Roy was then asked if he felt his team could make the playoffs with someone other than Semyon Varlamov in ’13-14 form in net.  He responded that they need their goaltenders to be the best player on the team to find success, stating that “every night our goalies have been the best player, we’ve won our games.”  He then mentioned the play of Reimer last night, the barrage Berra withstood in Montreal and Boston to give the team a chance to win, and Lundqvist during the Rangers game earlier in the year.

However, he also feels his team can play better in some situations.  In particular, the specialty teams need to be solid, especially on the road.  Even if power plays don’t directly lead to goals, he does expect them to help swing momentum in the Avs favor.  Last night, due to poor puck management, turnovers, and bad decisions, the opposite occurred.

[Woah. The way Roy said “reevaluate” Varlamov didn’t sound like he was just talking about his injury.  Perhaps I’m reading too far between the lines, but it seems the coach is rather not pleased with the reoccurring injury to his starting netminder.  He’s understanding of Varalmov’s predicament, but he’s also a noted competitor and flat out said that this team relies on their goalie for success.  With the recent resurgence (or just surgence?) of Berra and strides by Calvin Pickard, Varlamov may need to be very diligent about his rehab and find a way to make this issue go away.]  

Play of the Week

Nathan MacKinnon’s 13 second goals against Montreal took the cake, and the second goal was “a little flipperooo!” according to the always outstanding and excitable Mark Moser.  Roy is pleased with MacKinnon at center, especially because the open ice allows him to use his speed.  He’s also working hard on his defensive game, and it’s apparent that his coach really appreciates the effort.

[At the time of this writing, MacKinnon’s sitting fourth in the NHL in scoring at over a point-per-game pace.  That is… acceptable.  I think he’s adjusting just fine to the center position.  

His usage probably has something to do with that.  Particularly on this road trip, Roy has been giving the MacKinnon/Duchene line practically all of the offensive zone starts.  This means they have limited defensive responsibilities and get to spend the bulk of their shifts terrorizing goalies in the offensive zone.  It’s a strategy Vancouver famously deployed for many years with the Sedins, and it’s working just as well for the Avs two speed demons.  

As another bonus, Duchene is a left shot and MacKinnon is right.  Since they’re both technically centers, Roy has been taking advantage of their handedness at the faceoff dot.  They will switch depending on which side of the net the draw occurs on, giving that line a greater chance of winning and keeping the puck in the zone.  It’s a nifty strategy and one I don’t see Roy abandoning any time soon.]

Landeskog Suspension

Roy clearly wasn’t pleased with the suspension, but he understands that the league is trying to eliminate those blind-side east-west style hits.   However, he still found this one hard to swallow.  There wasn’t an injury, and he felt Landeskog tried to lay off during the hit.  It’s also the Captain’s first suspension after only a previous fine.  The punch Marchand delivered after the play was far more direct to the head, whereas Landeskog’s first point of contact was the shoulder.

Even so, he knows that an appeal to the league would be a waste of energy and time.  The NHL wants to get those hits out of the game, and it’s becoming more and more clear in the mind of the players that hits of that nature are likely to get them into trouble.

[It’s frustrating that the Avs have been at the receiving end of the Department of Player Saftey’s crack downs this year when so many similar hits escape justice.  However, Roy’s right.  Players have to know that there’s a good chance they’ll get into trouble if they attempt blindside east-west hits.  It may not happen every time, but there’s enough of chance that they need to be more cognizant of their actions.  

Landeskog’s play wasn’t a dirty one, but it was careless, and stupid penalties like that have become far too frequent in his game this year.  Hopefully this will help him clean up his act overall and keep the Avs off the penalty kill.  Two games off also gave him time to nurse a few minor injuries, so at least there is a silver lining to this whole situation.]

Duchene & Trade Speculation

Talk then turned to Duchene’s recent play.  Roy credits the turn-around largely to great chemistry with MacKinnon.  They can keep up with each other, and it’s leading to points almost every game.  Duchene’s also displaying confidence and driving the net, and it’s paying dividends for him.

The trade rumors surrounding the center (and others) also came up.  Even when Roy was with Montreal and Colorado, trade rumors popped up when the team isn’t winning.  It’s just part of the journey as a player.  It’s always possible since this is the business of winning, but the coach would be very surprised if any sort of a deal was made.

[Avs have a rough start. Avs go to Canada. Canadian hockey media remember the Avs exist, and boom! Trade rumors everywhere!  

In this case, there probably is some truth behind the talk.  After a rocky start, it’s Sakic’s job to kick some tires and explore a shakeup.  He knows Denver fans aren’t going to come to games if the team isn’t preforming, and I genuinely believe that he and Roy are committed to restoring the glory this club had while they were players.  If there was a deal that could assist with that, it’s his job as a GM to find it.  

But do I think a Duchene trade (or Barrie trade, or anyone trade) is in any way imminent?  No, especially not now that the team is winning again.  There is no reason the Avs HAVE to make a move, but they’d be idiots if they didn’t ask about one.  Their asking just happened to correspond with Canada’s intermittent interest in them, which is why the rumors will probably blow over by the end of the road trip.]  

Opponents Pressure on the Forecheck

The first listener question asked about the Avs breakout when the other team pressures them.  Roy didn’t exactly agree that breakouts under pressure were the problem, but bad turnovers and sloppy play when there isn’t pressure does cause issues.  He cites Francois Beauchemin and MacKinnon’s turnovers last night.  Sluggish decisions and forcing passes are issues as well, especially on the power play breakout.  Typically, when there’s pressure, the team is doing a good job of bumping the puck to the middle and catching centers like MacKinnon on the rush, which lead to chances.  But take away that pressure, and the team makes bad decisions with the puck.

[I’m going to disagree with Roy a bit here.  Sloppy decisions seem to be a hallmark of this team’s play in the neutral zone, especially when they’re trying to transition.  Does it become worse when they have time to think about their decision? Ironically, yes, I can buy into that argument, but it doesn’t change the fact that this team has a lot to work on when it comes to good passing and choices even when they are under pressure.  

They have been doing better this road trip, so credit is due there, but they still have a long way to go before they can keep up with a successful team like Chicago on their transitions.]

The Lineup

During Landeskog’s absence, Grigorenko played well with Duchene and MacKinnon on the top line.  However, the coach was extremely blunt when he said the young forward won’t stay there when the Captain returns.  It’s great for the team to have someone who can step into that top role when needed, and the coach openly agreed that Grigorenko did very well, “but Landy is Landy, and Landy will play with MacKinnon and Duchene.  This is where he’s going to be tomorrow night”.  Roy is also not going to break the line up for greater scoring depth since he believes they can create offense night after night.

Actually, the biggest problem Roy is finding with the lineup right now is figuring out how to deal with the John Mitchell injury.  Without him, the third line takes a big hit.  This makes it harder for Roy to play them against top lines and hurts the overall team defensively.  In today’s NHL, the coach feels it’s tough to replace a player like this, so he needs someone like Grigorenko, Wagner, or Street to really step up and claim that role.  He’s content with Andreas Martinsen‘s play on that line and feels Cody McLeod has been giving him everything he has, but McLeod’s a great 4th line guy.  The injury to Winchester continues to hurt the team’s depth in this role, so someone else needs to step up.

Tomorrow night, the second line will be Comeau – Soderberg – Iginla.  Roy feels they can contribute some good offense after beyond the top line.

[Remember when I compared Roy’s offensive zone strategy with MacKinnon and Duchene to the Sedins?  I guess that makes Mitchell Manny Malholtra, a.k.a. the defensive 3rd line center banished for all eternity into the defensive zone to defeat all of the team’s top opponents and slay some dragons while he’s at it.  It’s not an easy job, and losing him puts a real crimp in Roy’s overall usage strategy.  

If the two-headed Avalanche Monster (and Landeskog) are going to keep getting all the offensive zone starts, they need another line to take those d-zone draws.  The second line needs to be able to add some depth scoring, so someone else needs to step up.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence the Avs made a waiver claim for Chris Wagner this week, especially given his reputation as a defensive center.  Grigorenko also did a great job showing his offensive prowess these past two games, but if he can win this spot, that’s another big feather in his cap.  It’s going to be interesting to see what happens, and a subtle but very important story line heading into the second half of the road trip.]

Team Bonding

Roy agreed that the road trip came at a good time.  Before they left, it seemed like a very long stretch of games, but winning the first three certainly helped.  They were disappointed last night, but the next three games will go quickly.  They need to find a way to pick up points in those contests.  However, Roy also feels that the bonding and practice focus of the trip has helped the team.