DENVER – Call it the Battle of the Ceiling Destroyers.
The star power of the match between the figures of Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avelanche is intoxicating. But the harsh reality for one of these two teams is that despite the important step (or several steps) ahead, one of these talented clubs will be eliminated and returned to the drawing board.
It doesn’t take much time at this time of year to be replaced by disappointment.
Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic was able to understand this part of the equation as he spoke to reporters at the Ball Arena on Monday.
Was there a slight sense of relief, as many of his players expressed after sending off St. Louis Blues in six games? Absolutely.
But when you’ve been to the top of the mountain before, you don’t spend much time patting your back to get to the middle of the road.
“And that was the goal of this round. Now we play with a really strong team of Edmonton Oilers, which was one of the best teams in the last three months in the league. So now we are not facing the third round, but against the Edmonton Oilers in a series of seven games. “
“There is a lot of talk about the second round in the last few years. We really are not looking to get out of the second round; that was not the goal this year, “Sakic said. “It was nice to pass the second round, but every year was a different circumstance, a different team in which we played. This year we did a great job against St. Louis Blues. It was a great opportunity.
Oilers GM Hollande took a similar approach when discussing the joy of passing past the disappointment of winning the first round of the Winnipeg Jets (the one that included three losses in overtime) in 2021 and losing in four games to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020. qualification round.
“You have to be there several times and you will be disappointed. And you have to learn from those disappointments, “Holland said. “The manager learns from these disappointments, makes some changes in the off-season, the coach learns from these disappointments and makes some changes, and the players learn from these disappointments and are better prepared for the next transition.
“I think (with) experience, our team was better prepared for this year’s playoffs. They may be a little more mature because of the inner growth and some of the moves we made after that (head coach Jay Woodcroft’s experience). Everything came together down here and in the playoffs. ”
The Oilers are here after quickly beating the Calgary Flames at the Battle of Alberta as the Avalanche overcame a setback in Game 5 against St. Louis Blues, where they blew up a three-goal cushion, then regained the lead before scoring a last-minute goal and another after the sequels.
While most of the noise in the series revolves around McKinnon and McDavid, both players have struggled to focus on the team element – even if the hockey world looks at it through the prism of something like Gretsky vs. Lemieux or Crosby vs. Ovechkin. .
“I don’t know. I think he’s the best, I said him. I think he was the best for a while now and it will take a full team effort to stop him, it’s the same with (Leon) Dreisytle.” McKinnon told McDavid. “But they are deeper than the teams attribute them to. They are very deep, they wouldn’t be where they are without the full effort of the team.
“I don’t really think much about this (individual match). Obviously I see these things, but you know, I hope this will attract more viewers and reduce the deposit. But other than that, I don’t care. “
Here are five other important matches that could play a role in determining the winner as the two teams battle for the chance to advance to the Stanley Cup final, starting Tuesday night:
Leon Drysight against Cale McCarthy and Devon Towse
Part of the anticipation in the series revolves around the match. For the Denver games, does Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar want to face the top lines and let the fireworks fix things?
It will not be a surprise, as Bednar encouraged the match between McKinnon and the captain of the Blues Ryan O’Reilly in the first round, even when he made the last change. If this is the case and Dreisytle stays next to McDavid and does not center his own line, it means that the top defensive pair of Avalanche figures must use their mobility to defend and their ability to break games and make the puck move north . transition.
Of course, this is a collective challenge for all five players on the ice, but Draisaitl comes out of a series in which he made 15 assists to set a record in one series (in five games) to combine with two goals. Makar and Toews also bring an offensive component to the table and the more they have the puck, the less time they have to spend defending against Draisaitl and McDavid.
Nazem Shots vs. Evander Kane
The way the game of matches unfolds will determine how much time these two spend in a clash against each other, but this is the battle between the waiting unlimited free agents. And these are not secondary implementers, they are a big part of the main weapon.
Kane already has two hat-tricks in those playoffs, while Kadri has one of his own. To say that Kane fits in well with Oilers is an understatement, as he leads the NHL with 12 goals and brought a physical presence that was lacking.
When he was still a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kadri often worked to get under McDavid’s skin, and that could be part of the game plan for this series as well. However, Kane can serve as a potential deterrent on this front as well. The footage also adds a physical component to this series, and given how both players love to get involved, it won’t surprise anyone if one or more of these clashes or clashes after a whistle involve these two fierce racers. Both players plan to win this summer, but another strong performance in this series could potentially increase their value to their current teams or the free market.
Gabe Landeskog vs. Ryan Newgent-Hopkins
This is the battle between the top two in the 2011 NHL Draft, with Newgent-Hopkins finishing first overall with the Oilers and Landeskog finishing first in the Avalanche. They have both spent their entire careers in their respective organizations and have played a valuable role in every franchise to return to this point.
Landeskog chose to stay out of the season in the past, even though he was an unlimited free agent and the same can be said for Newgent-Hopkins. Yes, both players have received long-term and well-paid, but they could choose to use their services elsewhere. Instead, they planned to stick to programs in which they had invested a lot of their own capital and now see some of the fruits of that work.
So far, the two players are tied for 11 points, while Landeskog has a slight advantage (6-4) when it comes to scoring goals in the playoffs so far. Both players plan to leave a mark in this series as well.
Mike Smith vs. Darcy Kumper
A series of this scale would not be complete without looking at the battle between the men behind the masks and this match is intriguing. Avalanche were stingy on defense, but this often meant that the limited load did not allow Quemper to get into much of the rhythm. His save rate of 0.904 in nine starts leaves much to be desired, as well as minus 3 goals above, which he was expected to be allowed, according to moneypuck.
However, 2.45 goals against the average is stable and he is not the only goalkeeper in this series who has faced several hiccups so far. But despite the occasional challenge, whether it was an early draw in Game 1 against the Flames, 132 feet allowed or an unfortunate turn, Smith invented plenty of massive saves when his team needed him the most, resulting in an impressive .925 percent of rescue (his 2.70 GAA is distorted due to the aforementioned early attraction against the Flames). Smith is fourth in the playoffs, scoring more than expected (8.8) and he will have to be sharp in order for this series to fulfill the score.
Zack Hyman vs. Miko Rantanen
These two wings play completely different styles, but Hyman came just as advertised when he was signed with a big ticket (seven years, $ 38.5 million, $ 5.5 million AAV) deal for a free agent from the Netherlands.
Much more than a conscientious and persistent puller, Hyman contributes to both special teams and is an energetic striker who is on the break, scoring eight goals and 12 games – including at least one game in each of the last five games. This is a serious heater and he will have to continue to intervene in order for the Oilers to continue.
As for Rantanen, it has been an interesting playoff so far. Yes, he works with a point per game (11 points in 11 games), but he scored only one goal and that was an empty net.
Rantanen is the leader of Avalanche in goals (36) and points (92) and recorded 254 shots on goal in 75 games during the regular season. But he has succeeded with only 24 shots on goal so far and has more to give and has the ability to have a huge impact on the outcome of this series if he manages to enter the offensive.
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