Cale Makar leads all NHL defensemen in assists and points, and he’s just one goal off the lead in goal scoring.

Imagine what his numbers would look like if the Avalanche could figure out their power play.

It’s December, and the Avalanche are dominating the league almost in spite of their power play, which currently sits 24th in the NHL. What’s remarkable is that an Oct. 28 game against New Jersey where Colorado scored four of their 15 power play goals is actually doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to their current positioning in the league.

In the 24 other games, the man advantage for the Avalanche has only scored on 12.8% of their opportunities. For reference, the worst overall power play in the league belongs to the Calgary Flames and their 13.3% conversion rate.

So, yes, not exactly an ideal start to the season for Colorado’s man advantage.

Of those 15 power-play goals, none have come off the stick of Makar. In fact, including the postseason last year, Makar hasn’t scored a power play goal in 35 games. Teams are defending Colorado’s power play a little differently these days.

“Teams are getting out to (Makar) and (Nathan MacKinnon). That’s what they’re doing,” Jared Bednar said. “They’re going to make us do something else in order to score. They’re going to sit out on ‘MacK’ and sit out on Cale and there’s other things that are open, and we got to be able to execute through their pressure.”

Naturally, teams will adjust and try their best to not allow the top players on the other team to beat them. Now it’s Colorado’s turn to do the same.

Makar, a student of the game, says a lot has changed since he first stepped foot in the NHL in 2019.

“It’s just the evolution of the game,” Makar said. “PK’s are completely different now than even when I came into the league. A lot of teams pressure now. When (Nikita) Kucherov used to go high to (Victor) Hedman and he just used to tap it over to (Steven) Stamkos, one touch, there’s not really that anymore because of the three-point pressure. Most teams are playing that.”

If you know Makar, you know he’s not one for excuses. The 27-year-old defenseman says the team found ways to break penalty-kill systems last season and they’ll continue to find ways to do it as this season goes on.

Still, Makar admits he has not been at his best when it comes to shooting from the point on the power play.

“I’m finding lanes. Right now, I’m just missing spots by a little bit, whether it’s just hitting other guys or hitting guys’ sticks,” Makar said. “I just got to get it for guys at the net. Good net-front always helps with stuff like that, and ‘Lehky’ and ‘Landy’ right now have been doing great. I just got to find ways to get it there and put it on net.”

Notes from practice

• MacKinnon, Landeskog and Parker Kelly did not skate at practice due to illness, while Victor Olofsson missed for maintenance. There will be updates on their status at morning skate Tuesday. MacKinnon was under the weather during Colorado’s 7-2 win on Saturday.
• Valeri Nichushkin made it through another practice and Bednar said that if he gets through the day without any issues, he’s a possibility to play on Tuesday against the Canucks.
• Gavin Brindley skated prior to practice for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on Nov. 20. He’s still a ways away from returning, as is Logan O’Connor.