Where does gradual penalty kill improvement start for the Avalanche? With committing fewer penalties, of course.
The Avs have spent two months slowly climbing out of the cellar in NHL penalty kill rankings after a dismal 11-for-20 (55%) start to the season. Entering Thursday night’s game against Los Angeles, they are out of the bottom-10, now ranking No. 22 with 76.4% PK rate.
A crucial part of the recent marginal uptick has been their improvement at staying out of the box to begin with — spending less time on their heels, more time at even strength.
“We’ve bought into our checking game, so we’re not chasing people from behind all night,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said.