Colorado has had a strong start to the series. Forsberg was tremendous in game two, after being less than that in the first game. Ryan Smyth is possibly the brightest news .... he looks like "playoff Smyth". After his injury he had a very mediocre finish to the season ... but he's BACK. He's noticeable everywhere ... and especially in front of the net. It seems he has re-signed his lease on this valuable piece of real estate.
Ruslan Salei continues to impress me. He was a terrific acquisition at the deadline. The Avs are in the shooting lanes most of the time, especially on the important players like Brian Rolston, who has had 6 of his shots blocked, in two games. I'm a big believer in "choosing your poison". .....players are not all created equal. When faced with a scoring situation against you, you often have to choose who you will eliminate and who gets left open ...... especially when killing penalties. Take away the goal scorers, or the hottest shooter first. Know who you are out there against at all times. Play the odds. Put the pressure on the lesser players and eliminate the big guys. If I see Rolston and Fedoruk in scoring position and have to make a quick choice, I go to Rolston. Those types of decisions are made many times during a game. They only last a few seconds but they are the difference between winning and losing.
Both Minnesota and Colorado are very good at this decision making process. That's one reason why these games are all so tight. Both goalies appear sturdy. Colorado has more offensive weapons and the grittyness they developed when Stastny, Sakic and Smyth were out of the line-up is very evident now.
The Avs have to pound the defense-corps of the Wild. Their numbers are dwindling. Burns and Johnsson are playing huge minutes. Stastny and Wolski need to settle in to the battle.
They are a big part of the offensive advantage for the Avs. These wo can put Colorado over the top.
Join the Discussion:
»