The list of potential round two opponents has been narrowed down to two, and we have a lot of history with both clubs. Calgary and San Jose are playing game 7 on Tuesday night. We won’t play either team in the next round, but that outcome will determine our opponent. If San Jose wins, we’re headed to Motown. If Calgary wins, we’re going to Dallas.
It’s certainly not surprising that we’d see either team. This is the 12th season the team has been in Denver, and will be the 10th time the Avalanche have faced either the Stars or the Wings in the playoffs (in what will be their 27th series). We’ve gotten past the first round 9 times; in those 9 postseasons the Cup year of 2001 is the only time we haven’t seen one of those two teams at one point.
Overall, we’re 2-2 against Dallas and 3-2 against Detroit. Strangely (or coincidentally), we’re 1-4 against the Wings and Stars in Conference Finals, but 4-0 against them in the first or second round.
With the Stars, we’d have another tight series much like our first round series. I think we have a better chance of beating Dallas (not a knock on the Stars as much as it is praise for the Wings), but, frankly, there’s a big part of me that is anxious to see how our team would do against the Wings. While I’m a tad weary of resurrecting a rivalry that hasn’t been a “blood feud” for years, I personally would like to throw our team out there against the best and see what happens. Even if it means enduring the media blowing the rivalry way out of proportion for the umpteenth time.
You know it’s likely that an avs-Wings series, along with a Pens-Rangers series could actually mean real coverage for hockey over the next two weeks on ESPN. I mean Crosby playing in NY would be like a gateway to the future, and the blood feud was the last time ESPN actually cared about hockey.
As much as it would bother me to hear all the “It’s just like old times” talk (Even though The Avs went out and picked up Foote and Forsberg, while the Red Wings brought back McCarty) it would probably be good for ratings and for the league.
Of course Sharks, Stars, Habs and Flyers fans wouldn’t even know their teams are in the playoffs at that point, but you take what you can get right?
I agree we match up better against Dallas then Detroit — Dallas is a really good team and all, but Detroit’s vastly superior special teams and puck possession are still probably too much for the Avs, unless Joey and Peter really kick it up a notch. Dallas is a team very much like the Avs and Wild, and obviously, we can win that battle. I don’t care too much though, because I have a feeling all the teams we can face are going to be absolute dogfights of series.
It is worth mentioning that I like our goaltending in either of these matchups. Osgood and Turco? Hell yes we’re not facing Kipper or Nabokov!
I don’t know - Turco and Osgood both had a great first round…
What are you, one of those Red Wing revisionist historians? We are 3-2 against the hated Winged Wheel in playoff series. And you call yourself an Av fan?
Poor Turco has to win the Cup this year or he’ll never live down his “Post-season Flop” reputation no matter how far Dallas goes.
As for Osgood, he’s only played two games. We’ll see if he’s cut out for a deep run in the second round, no matter who the Wings play.
I’d rather face Turco and the Dallas powerplay than Osgood and the Detroit powerplay. I think Foote and Co. can supress the lion’s share of the 5v5 threat from Dallas. Against Detroit it might not matter as much because they are so good on their power play.
“What are you, one of those Red Wing revisionist historians? We are 3-2 against the hated Winged Wheel in playoff series. And you call yourself an Av fan?”
math is hard for me, as many of you have been learning. I’ve fixed everything up top, and totally didn’t credit you for ANY of it!
As you can tell by my old personal and somewhat embarrassing email addy, my hatred of the Winged Wheel would not allow me to miss that one.
jib,
As much as I would like to agree with your comment about the 4-letter network, I doubt it. They don’t cover the NHL because they don’t show NHL games. And they suck. Nope, they’ll lead off with the NBA playoffs. Follow up with meaningless early season MLB. Throw in nauseating NFL off-season coverage. And maybe give the NHL their customary 5-minutes every Thursday.
I loathe ESPN.
Oh i usually do to. But never underestimate how much ESPN likes
1) Showing Violence in hockey (Avs-Red Wings let’s cue up the brawls)
2) Likes to pander to the next big thing. (Hey Sid, we’ve ALWAYS loved hockey. Be in a commercial please?)