Ryan O'Reilly readily acknowledges he hasn't played anywhere near as well as he did last season, when he scored a team-leading and career-high 28 goals, a career-high 64 points, led the NHL with 83 takeaways and won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for "sportsmanship and gentlemanly play combined with a high standard of playing ability."
"I have to be a lot better," the Avalanche center told Hockeybuzz. "My numbers still aren't that great."
But O'Reilly, whose name continues to circulate in trade rumors -- the trading deadline is March 2 -- is slowly rounding into the form that makes him such a valuable two-way forward.
This was a guy who had a minus-8 plus/minus rating in the first nine games and as recently as Dec. 9, following a 3-0 loss to Nashville in Game 28, was an embarrassing minus-14 with four goals and 11 assists.
O'Reilly still isn't setting the NHL on fire with his scoring, but he does have five goals and seven assists in 22 games since then while playing a solid defensive game. His plus/minus in this stretch: plus-11.
"Definitely I had a real slow start offensively," he said. "I wasn't doing much. I think more and more, getting back at center and getting more comfortable, I've been able to use my instincts more and create a little confidence and be more effective on the ice."
O'Reilly, a natural center, flourished last season while spending most of the time at left wing. Now, he's anchoring a line with left wing Gabriel Landeskog and right wing Nathan MacKinnon.
"There was a bit of an adjustment," coach Patrick Roy said. "I truly believe he's been playing really well (recently). I like the line; the three of them are playing well together. Even if they don't score, which they would love to do, I feel they are generating some offense and playing well defensively."
O'Reilly is leading the league in takeaways again with 61 in 50 games, so he's on pace to finish with 100. He had a takeaway, two shots, an assist and won 11 of 15 faceoffs Friday in the Avalanche's 3-0 win against Nashville.
"When things aren't going well you have to go back to the staples of your game, things that got me to the NHL level -- playing good defensively and having a good stick and things like that," he said. "That's something I've always relied on. When you're playing against good skill guys, I have to be able to use my stick well and position myself well and create my offense from defense, from not having the puck.
"It's something I have to maintain, but I definitely have to produce at the other end. Going forward, you have to be able to produce, you have to score more goals if we want to get into the playoffs. Our goaltending's been outstanding, giving us a chance. I have had opportunities. When I get the puck on my stick, I have to put it away."
O'Reilly has nine goals and 18 assists, with two power-play goals. He led the team with nine power-play goals last season, and the Avalanche's power-play ranking has dropped to 29th in the 30-team league. They're 0-for-17 in the past five games, 3-for-38 in 13 games and 4-for-46 in 15 games.
"Last year I was way more effective on the power play," he said. "I was getting tons of goals and creating momentum. I need to be more effective there. We've talked about it, tried new things to try to get that going. If I can excel in that area it's going to give us a better chance of getting into the playoffs.
"I've been a bit better from the start of the year. I think I impact the game more. I'm creating more chances, but I still don't think I'm anywhere near where I need to be when it comes to putting the puck in the net. I have to do more."
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Jarome Iginla continued his hot streak Friday with an early third-period goal that gave the Avalanche a 2-0 lead. The point was the 1,200th of his NHL career, tying him with Dino "I can't believe I shook his friggin' hand" Ciccarelli for 46th place on the NHL's all-time list.
Iginla was in the slot when he accepted a pass from Matt Duchene and took a quick shot past goalie Marek Mazanec, who was screened by Predators defenseman Seth Jones.
"It’s cool," Iginla said of the milestone point. "Honestly, I definitely feel fortunate. When I started, I wouldn’t have guessed that. You know, I just wanted to get in the league and I was so excited to be in the NHL, and then you just want to stay in the league for a while. I’ve been so fortunate, blessed, to play a long time with some great players and be on power plays, play in some great cities and stuff. It’s been fun."
Iginla has 576 career goals, one behind 18th-place Mark Recchi on the all-time list.
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Goalie Semyon Varlamov made 23 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and 17th of his NHL career. He's started 15 of 17 games since returning Dec. 23 from his third groin injury of the season and has posted a 9-4-2 record with three shutouts.
The shutout was his 13th with Colorado, tying him with David Aebischer for second place in franchise history. Roy is first with 37 shutouts.