Thursday was another day of waiting for most of the Colorado Avalanche here in town. Even though Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog have been eliminated from the Olympic Games, the rest of the Avs are gearing up for the rest of the season. It was another day full of energy, and one thing stood out: Ross Colton. He was hitting the net repeatedly. That has been an issue of his all season, so seeing him do it in practice on Thursday was very encouraging. Maybe the break was good for Colton, and this is what he needed to get back on track.

The numbers

So far this season, Colton has played in 52 games for the Avalanche, taking 124 shots on goal. Last season, he played in only 61 games because of multiple injuries. During those 61 games, he took 125 shots. Compared to last season, Colton is shooting more, with a 5.6 shooting percentage, down from 12.8.

Colton is on pace to score the least amount of goals since his rookie season with Tampa Bay. And that was a 30-game season for him. He currently has seven goals (all even-strength) on the team that has scored the most even-strength goals in the league.

Why his numbers could be down

With the trade for Jack Drury last season, this has made it so Colton is playing more wing than center. As any hockey fan knows, the center position will get more direct shots on net than the wings do. The shots he has to take are at worse angles than what a center would take. Colton spent some time on the top power-play unit last season, driving up numbers. Being in the second unit this season, which is getting hardly any time, is definitely not helping the situation for him.

Based on what I observed during practice on Thursday, Colton needed some time away to reset. He did not look frustrated at practice, much like he had during the last few games. This break for the Olympics could have been the best thing for him and the team all season.