Western Conference Quarterfinals: Minnesota v. Colorado

Minny is emerging as a darkhorse pick by some to be the team that advances from the West. To a degree it's understandable...the post-lockout Lemaire system has arguably been perfected this year, giving the Wild the first division championship in franchise history. The Avs, however, played pretty damn well after the holiday break. Jose Theodore was one of the better goalies in the league over the past couple of months and the infusion of Avs 'throwbacks' like Forsberg and Foote have some thinking that Colorado may be able to pull off an upset in the first round.

To me the key questions in this series are how well can Theodore play and, maybe more importantly, can the Avs play relatively mistake free hockey against a team that makes a living taking advantage of mistakes? The Wild have boosted their offensive output a bit this year...Gaborik has been amazing at times...so the Avs can't count on the same low offensive output which has been the downfall of the Wild in the past. The discipline with which Minnesota plays is a big factor here. They'll simply wait and wait for a mistake to be made while, at the same time, using their more skilled forwards to create chances in the offensive zone. Because of this, I think they're much more dangerous offensively than a lot of the media types are giving them credit for.

The difference to me, then, is goaltending. Simply put, Theodore is going to have to play well if for no reason other than the fact that Backstrom has been so consistent this year for Minnesota. The Wild do a terrific job of cutting off the passing lanes, reducing the quality chances that their opposition has offensively. This means fewer tips, one timers, and chances created by finesse in the offensive zone...exactly the strength of the Colorado forwards. Backstrom won't be challenged as much, in other words, so Theodore is going to have to be on.

In my opinion, the Avs will push Minnesota in a couple of games but, ultimately, won't be able to withstand the total team effort that Lemaire makes sure his team brings on a nightly basis. In watching the Wild this year (and I've seen them quite a bit given that they're a NW division team) they just seem like a team born and bred for the postseason. I think they begin what may very well be a surprising playoff run here by eliminating the Avs in five...