"We need to score every night": MacKinnon knows his line has more to give

Losing sucks.

When you lose eight games in a row, you know what’s coming. You know guys like me are going to ask questions you don’t want to answer and talk about topics you don’t want to touch on. So it came as no surprise when Nathan MacKinnon heard the question about recent struggles and his eyes went from focused on me to a thousand yard stare.

“It’s been tough lately,” MacKinnon said. “I’m not sure what our numbers are the last couple months but we’re around a point per game. That’s okay usually but we were getting a point and a half per game and that’s when we were winning. I feel like we need to score two or three per night. We’re just getting one and that’s not enough. It’s been bad since the break. We do feel pressure and we need to score every night. Our power play hasn’t been doing that and we need to get one per night on the power play. That’s our goal. Get one five on five goal as a line and one power play goal and we really give our team a chance.”

Those are lofty goals from a top line that was once the toast of the NHL. All three members were in the top 15 in scoring and were leading the Avalanche back to the postseason for consecutive seasons, a feat the organization has not accomplished since their general manager was the star player. Then it all came tumbling down, culminating in what is currently an eight-game losing streak.

The numbers from Colorado’s once-lethal first line during this stretch?

MacKinnon: two goals, two assists
Mikko Rantanen: one goal, one assist
Gabe Landeskog: zero goals, three assists

For a team whose biggest concern early in the season was secondary scoring, suddenly the top line’s return to earth has morphed into a concern of its own. A major difference in their production has been futility on the power play. During this losing streak, Colorado’s three top scorers have combined for two points, both assists on the same Tyson Barrie goal against Minnesota, on the man advantage, and zero in the last six games.

That’s a problem.

“It’s tough to say [what’s wrong with the power play],” MacKinnon told BSN Denver. “It’s a very fine line with the power play. When we’re very aggressive and we create chaos, we make plays out of scrambles and shots. When we shoot it and get it back, that’s when the PK has to adjust. It’s tough. We’re pretty slow with it and we’re making bad reads, we turn the puck over a lot. I think we get in fine but once we get in we need to make the right play to set it up. It’s a fine line. Power plays are hot and cold mostly. Our power play needs to win us games this time of year. We just need to be better on that power play.”

While the power play still sits at seventh in the NHL, it’s been on a precipitous decline that has coincided with the team’s ultimate collapse. They take on the Winnipeg Jets on the road tonight in a building they’ve badly struggled in.

“Hopefully we can get a win and end this thing,” MacKinnon said. “We’re still close. The teams we’re chasing aren’t running away with anything. It’s still tight. Obviously, the Jets are first or second in the Central but we played really well against them the last time we went there. We doubled up on them in shots and had lots of chances, we just couldn’t stop the puck from going in the net.”

While the Avalanche continue to try to get back on track and chase down a playoff spot in the suddenly terrible western conference, they have to beat back the feelings of accepting their fate as a team that’s going to miss the postseason. Extended losing like this can take hold of a locker room and be impossible to shake, as we’ve seen from far too many Avalanche teams in the last ten years.

“There’s no complacency,” MacKinnon said. “We still have a really good chance. We’ve been playing decent. It hasn’t been great. They scored three power play goals last game. Special teams needs to be better and if we get that going our five on five should be better, too.”

If Colorado is going to get back on track, it has to start at the top with MacKinnon and his linemates. Their pedestrian results and the eight-game losing streak simply aren’t coincidence. It’s time for Colorado’s best players to step up and be just that once again.