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Series against Wild will require road toughness

Colorado set up playoff meeting with win

By Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 6, 2008 at 3:39 p.m.

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The Avalanche's Wojtek Wolski scoots the puck past Wild backup goalie Josh Harding during a shootout Sunday afternoon at the Pepsi Center. Colorado clinched the No. 6 spot in the playoffs, which will begin for the team Wednesday night against Minnesota in St. Paul, Minn.

Photo by Darin McGregor / The Rocky

The Avalanche's Wojtek Wolski scoots the puck past Wild backup goalie Josh Harding during a shootout Sunday afternoon at the Pepsi Center. Colorado clinched the No. 6 spot in the playoffs, which will begin for the team Wednesday night against Minnesota in St. Paul, Minn.

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The Avalanche heads into the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on a 5-0-1 roll but in order to advance will need to accomplish something against the Minnesota Wild that it didn't do in the regular season:

Win a game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., where the best-of-seven series will start Wednesday.

"It's going to be an exciting series. Every game seems to be tight between us," Avalanche captain Joe Sakic said after the team's 4-3 shootout win against the Wild on Sunday at the Pepsi Center. "That's how it always is with Minnesota. I've got a lot of respect for that team. They've got a good hockey team over there."

The Avalanche went 3-4-1 against the Wild this season, 0-3- 1 in Minnesota.

"We're going into the playoffs on a good note," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We've got some momentum. For the most part, we've had a real good run here since the trading deadline. Our team's probably deeper in all areas than it's been at any point all year.

"I think our team's made for playoff hockey. We're more physical, especially on our back end, so we like our team and we like the way we're approaching the playoffs."

The Avalanche needed one point in its regular-season finale Sunday to gain the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and set up a first-round match with the Wild, which already had clinched the Northwest Division title and No. 3 seed.

A regulation loss would have meant a No. 7 seed and playoff series with the second-seeded San Jose Sharks, champions of the Pacific Division.

One point was secured when the teams went to the 5-minute overtime, and the Avalanche collected the extra point on shootout goals from Wojtek Wolski and Sakic against backup goalie Josh Harding.

Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore ran his season record in shootouts to 6-1 by turning aside Petteri Nummelin and Pierre- Marc Bouchard.

"We wanted to play well and play hard and win the hockey game," Sakic said. "I don't think it really mattered who we were going to play in the playoffs. We wanted to play well to finish off the regular season, especially in your home building."

The Wild and Avalanche have been tough to beat at home. Each collected 56 points on home ice, tying for the fourth-highest total in the NHL, but the Avalanche has to win at least once at the Xcel Energy Center to win the series.

The Avalanche won twice on the road when the teams met in 2003 but lost three times at the Pepsi Center. The Wild won the series in seven games, taking the last three with the decisive goal scored in overtime against Patrick Roy by present Avalanche forward Andrew Brunette.

The Avalanche is confident things will be different this time after going 13-5-1 in the final 19 games after the acquisitions of Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei.

"The games we had to have down the stretch, we won those games, and we feel pretty good about ourselves, but we know you have to bring it to another level," Sakic said.

Forsberg had three assists Sunday and wound up with a goal and 13 assists in only nine games.

"It's great," said Forsberg, who continues to skate at left wing with Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk. "I ended up on a good note here, and we got a win. Now the fun starts."

One of the major questions facing the Avalanche is how Forsberg will handle a rugged series with few off days. He has yet to play in more than three consecutive games.

"I'm just hoping the body's going to hold up," Forsberg said. "We'll see what happens, but I'll definitely give it a shot and do my best. The first couple of games it was a little struggle, but lately it's going better and better."

Theodore, who started 20 of the final 21 games and made 34 saves Sunday, probably will have to be even better starting with the series opener Wednesday.

"We all know how, in the playoffs, goaltending is very important," he said. "For us, the playoffs started two or three months ago, and you just have to keep doing the same thing."

ETC.: The Avalanche finished 44-31-7 for 95 points, the same as last season, when it missed the playoffs by one point. . . . Sakic and Hejduk gave the Avalanche a 3-2 lead in the third period with power-play goals, but the Wild tied it on Brian Rolston's goal with 3:21 remaining. . . . Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist and led the Avalanche in scoring, with 71 points.

NUMBERS GAME

12 points and a plus-8 rating for Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg in his final five regular-season games.

FIGHTING SPIRIT

Ian Laperriere fought with Wild forward Marian Gaborik as time expired in the 5-minute overtime, perhaps a sign of things to come when the teams meet in the playoffs.

"I don't know. I don't think so," Laperriere said. "It's just that . . . it was at the end of the game and there was a little pushing around. He punched me, I punched him back. It's going to be a battle for the series, but I wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

"It's intense out there. We're going to see each other for the next couple weeks."

The fight was Laperriere's 20th this season but the first of Gaborik's NHL career.

"We kind of collided, pushed and shoved," said Gaborik, who set Wild records this season for goals (42) and points (83). "I just happened to drop (the) gloves. It happened so quick."

Laperriere laughed when he was asked if he merely was trying to ensure that Gaborik couldn't take part in the shootout after each player was assessed a fighting major.

"No, I think he was trying to knock me out," Laperriere said. "I've been hot this week in practice."

HE SAID IT

"It reminded me of an All-Star Game. It wasn't a whole lot of intensity, and then in the third period things kind of picked up."

Brian Rolston, Wild forward.

GOING WILD

The Avalanche finished 3-4-1 against Minnesota during the 2007-08 regular season.

Date Site Result

Oct. 21 Minnesota L 3-2

Oct. 28 Pepsi Center W 3-1

Nov. 11 Pepsi Center W 4-2

Nov. 18 Minnesota L 4-1

Jan. 24 Pepsi Center L 3-2

March 17 Minnesota L 3-1

March 30 Minnesota L 3-2 (OT)

April 6 Pepsi Center W 4-3 (SO)

Comments

  • April 6, 2008

    8:33 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    GJrodburner writes:

    The hockey season takes on certain traits and trends, and the season just ended for the Avalanche was no exception. I really think that all of the injuries that befell this team at the break and right after the all-star break allowed the franchise an opportunity to look into the mirror and find out exactly what that reflection held...moxy and grit come to mind. The win at home today against the Wild had all the elements of a pick-up. Then the third period rolled in, and all of a sudden everyone on both sides decided not to roll-over and play give-it-away. This year's Aves have a team that can score, and can actually play the puck any way it wants from a defense stand point. I still say that the team will go as far as Peter Forsberg can carry them with his legs, and if his final game before the play-offs is any indication, I'd say this team can and will make the W.C.Finals.

  • April 6, 2008

    9:27 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Shaupeen writes:

    It is so nice to hear "Forsberg to Sakic, GOAL!" again.