Stars shoot to continue trend

Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 21, 2006 at midnight

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Almost everything seems to point toward the Dallas Stars having the upper hand against Colorado, but the Avalanche heads into the first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Stars with confidence.

Colorado went 1-3-0 against the Stars in the regular season, but two of the losses came in shootouts.

Dallas is a highly skilled offensive team and this should be an up-tempo series between two teams who like to score. That's good for the high-scoring Avalanche, which beat the Stars in five games in a 2004 first-round playoff series.

"I like the competitiveness of our group," coach Joel Quenneville said. "I like the experience and leadership that we have. I know all facets of our game are going to have to be sharp against Dallas. The bottom line is special teams are going to be critical and important.

"They are a team that does a lot of things right. They are having a real strong year. We are going to have to be at our best, but we are going to be ready."

Colorado will play in its 25th playoff series since the team arrived in Denver in 1995. That is the most among all NHL clubs over the past decade.

"They have a lot of high-skill players that have been in that situation before with (Joe) Sakic and (Milan) Hejduk and (Alex) Tanguay and (Rob) Blake," Dallas coach Dave Tippett said. "We're going to have our hands full."

Coaching Advantage: Even

• Colorado: Joel Quenneville has a great feel for the game. He compiled a 34-34 record in seven playoff appearances with the Blues, and this year he could be facing one of his toughest challenges.

• Dallas: Dave Tippett has the best winning percentage among NHL active coaches but still has something to prove in the playoffs. He is 7-10 in three playoff series as the Stars coach.

Defense Advantage: Stars

• Colorado: When the Avalanche has played well this season, it has been because the team defense has been sound. Colorado has good defensive forwards, and the defensemen, led by Karlis Skrastins, have, for the most part, become more solid. Rob Blake has come on strong after a slow start, while Brett Clark has teamed with Skrastins as Colorado's top defensive tandem. The offensive contributions of the Avalanche defensemen can't be overlooked as they have scored 52 goals, which tied Detroit for the most in the NHL.

• Dallas: The Stars allowed the fewest shots on goal in the league and allowed 44 fewer goals than the Avalanche during the regular season. The Stars defensemen also are offensive threats. Sergei Zubov was second in the league in points. Phillippe Boucher had career highs in goals, assists and points.

Goalie Advantage: Stars

• Colorado: Jose Theodore's heel is healed and he played in the final five games after missing 13 Avalanche games because of the injury after being acquired from Montreal. He made his Avalanche debut April 9, which was 68 days after playing his final game for Montreal. He has shown flashes of his quickness from side to side, and the Avalanche is hoping he will be the difference in the playoffs. He compiled an 11-15 playoff record with Montreal.

• Dallas: Marty Turco had a superb season with 41 wins, but he's had a checkered career in the playoffs. The Avalanche beat him in the 2004 playoffs, scoring 18 goals in five games, and he has compiled a career record of 7-10 in the playoffs.

Offense Advantage: Stars

• Colorado: This year's team has scored the second-most goals of any Avalanche team, second to the 1995-96 Stanley Cup champions. Joe Sakic carried the team down the stretch. A healthy Alex Tanguay, who missed 10 games late in the season because of a knee injury, will provide more firepower. Milan Hejduk has shown glimpses of regaining his Maurice Richard Award-winning form. He could win a series by himself if he gets hot. Andrew Brunette, Ian Laperriere and Antti Laaksonen have had career seasons. Pierre Turgeon ranks high on the NHL's all-time scoring lists and his experience could provide a boost.

• Dallas: The Stars have a potent one-two punch down the middle with centers Mike Modano and Jason Arnott, the team's top two scorers. Jere Lehtinen, who had a career-high, team-leading 32 goals, Brenden Morrow and Modano give the Stars a tough top line, and rookie left wing Jussi Jokinen and Bill Guerin team with Arnott on the strong second line.

Special teams Advantage: Avalanche

• Colorado: The Avs' power play needs to step up after going 4-for-37 over the final seven games of the season. Colorado, however, ranked a respectable ninth in power-play percentage and scored 89 power-play goals this season, the most since the team moved to Denver. The penalty kill, which ranked sixth in the NHL, struggled at times but allowed only five goals in 54 short-handed situations over the last 10 games.

• Dallas: The Stars had the 20th-best power play in the NHL during the regular season (17.6 percent) but the penalty kill ranked eighth (84 percent), which should be a key matchup against Colorado's power play.

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