To paraphrase Doctor Strangelove, what is the point of a powerplay if you don't shoot the puck.

Powerplays for the Avalanche have been a brilliant ballet of two or three players passing the puck back and forth along the perimeter without any shots toward the net. It does not score but it sure is fun to watch the skill of those six foot passes.

It is the reason the Avs sit last in the league with a 8.1 powerplay percentage. In 37 powerplay opportunities the Avs have put 51 shots on net, not even an average of two per chance.

Last night against the Phoenix Coytoes, the Avs were held without a goal on five powerplay chances, including one 4-on-3 during overtime. Denver Post writer Mike Chambers thinks without Ryan O'Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog and Steve Downie that the problem deals with personnel.

Landeskog would help because he actually goes hard to the net and puts shots on net. O'Reilly has proven he's a clutch player and Downie will muck things up in front of the net. With those players, the Avs' powerplay might be better. That said, the problem of the team lacking motion and shots on the powerplay is nothing new. It has been a problem since 2009, when Joe Sakic retired and the Avs actually needed to make a system.

In that time span, the Avs have had two head coaches, seven assistants and a changing array of players. None of it has mattered as the Avs still play the perimeter on the powerplay, pass around and hope to get the perfect shot to score.

Instead, the Avs should move in on the powerplay and actually try to move players into a scoring position. Make the goatender make a save, make him move and get the players in front of them moving to open up passing and shooting lanes. Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order- add a little chaos.

Without Downie and Landeskog (and also with Jones playing soft hockey) the Avs have lost their grit and are now too fancy. San Jose has one of the prettiest powerplays in the league that they can pull defenders out of position with passing. The Avs are not San Jose. They need to get their hands dirty, get in front of the goalie and start a riot in front of the net.

Matt Duchene and P.A. Parenteau are the lone, established pretty players for the Avs, players who can make beautiful moves and passes that end up on NHL Tonight. Even Paul Stastny is not flashy and that is what the Avs' powerplay has become: flashy.

Even without Landeskog, there is no reason for the Avs not to be this bad, this passive on the powerplay.

At this point, the problem is not personnel, it is the mentality and the Avs need to establish a tougher mental state.

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