Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon has a slump to bust, with just one goal in his past 20 games after Friday’s night’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The key to snapping that slump is to skate right at the problem.
“When I skate and move my feet, I feel like I’m playing my best hockey,” said MacKinnon, 19. “Sometimes things click, and sometimes they don’t. Obviously, right now I’m in a bit of a drought. But when I’m skating and playing simple and hard and working hard on the ice, that’s usually when things turn around for me.”
MacKinnon moved down to the Avs’ third line Friday, playing with John Mitchell and Max Talbot. Avs coach Patrick Roy said he wants Mac- Kinnon to attack the net from different angles, especially outside-in.
“I want to see him challenging the defensemen more,” Roy said. “I just feel he’s stopping a little too much at the top of the circle, looking for plays. He likes to pass the puck at the entry. But I’d like to see him bring the puck more to the net.”
Last week, MacKinnon scored a first-period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Pepsi Center by beating goaltender Corey Crawford to the blocker side.
“He loves to have the puck in the neutral zone where he can use his speed. I just want to see him shooting more,” Roy said. “If he puts pucks on the net like he did against Chicago, that’s good. We want to see more of those shots.”
Entering Friday’s game, MacKinnon’s 22 points (six goals and 16 assists) ranked fourth among the Avs.
Top two. Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla continue to lead the Avalanche in points. Entering Friday, Tanguay was No. 1 with 25 points (12 goals and 13 assists). Iginla was No. 2 with 24 points (nine goals and 15 assists). Roy will keep them together, for now, on the second line with center Ryan O’Reilly.
“I guess it started in Calgary,” Roy said, referring to where Tanguay and Iginla played together from 2010-12. “We put them together for five or six games, and it seems like it’s clicking very well. Jarome likes to shoot the puck. Alex likes to pass the puck. It seems to be a good fit.”
