The last time the Avs played the Arizona Coyotes in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, they were still called the Phoenix Coyotes, people were downloading *NSYNC’s “No String’s Attached on Napster, going to Blockbuster on Friday nights, and you wrote down directions if you didn’t know where you were going. While life is a little different now than it was in April 2000, the outcome of the Avalanche vs. Coyotes is still the same. Avs win the series 4-1.
Coming into the playoffs, Arizona had a lot to be confident about. They were an 11th seed that upset no. 6, the Nashville Predators, and were riding high on the superior net-minding of Darcy Kuemper. Series have been stolen by goaltenders before, and after the first three games the Avs had outshot the Coyotes 119-69, but the Avs only lead the series 2-1. After a disappointing loss in Game 3 where the Avs put 51 shots on net, the familiar distain for the former Minnesota Wild goaltender was beginning to surface. Thankfully, the Avalanche that faced Kuemper in 2014, are a very different club. The Avs rallied, and after their defeat in Game 3 would go on score 14 goals against the Coyotes to their 2, winning the series in 5 games.
Even a superstar goaltender wasn’t enough to stop the Avalanche. The Avs out shot the Coyotes 185-108 overall, and outscored them 22-8, with two of Arizona’s goals being on an empty net. The Coyotes were so severely outmatched that it almost had me feeling sorry for Arizona. Almost.
One of the biggest takeaways from the series is that the Avalanche were relentless, even when they were up 3-0 in the last two games, they did not take their foot off the accelerator and continued to dominate in puck possession. Additionally, the momentum was generated from the entire team, not just the ferocious first line. While Nathan MacKinnon lead the team with 13 points in his 3 goals and 10 assists, the second-line center, Nazem Kadri had an outstanding series with 7 points – 2 assists, 5 goals, and four of those power play goals.
The Avs look good. Really good.
They will now have to wait until the remainder of the series are finished before they can begin the next round. Sometimes too much time off between series can be worrisome. While the team can rest, it is also a chance to lose momentum. But the Avs were off for 4-½ month, and if anything, they are even better than they were before. Depending on the outcome of the other series, the Avs will face Dallas, Vancouver or St. Louis. If I had to choose, I’d like to play Dallas, I’ve still had a grudge with them since the same playoff year that the Avs last beat the Coyotes. It’s not healthy to carry a grudge for 20 years, and I would like to put it to rest. Though the odds of me forgetting that the Dallas Stars beat the Avs in back to back years in the Western Conference Finals, both in Game 7s, is unlikely, I mean we did finally beat them in the playoffs in in 2004 and 2006, but I didn’t even remember that fact till I recently looked it up. So I’d be happy to beat them again. Only this time, we won’t have to worry about Brett Hull. Whoever the opponent will be, the Avs will be ready.
It is now the second year in a row that the Avalanche have advanced to the second round, but this year feels different. Last season the Avs were a strong team and were fortunate to be in the playoffs, and the tragic Game 7 loss against San Jose ignited a fire for the Avalanche. This year, they have been a dominant force throughout the season, and belong in the playoffs. Making it to the second round is no longer enough, it is expected. There is only one potential outcome. As Jake Taylor in Major League so elegantly says, “There is only one thing left to do. Win the whole f’ing thing.” To be clear, the Cleveland Indians don’t win the World Series in Major League, but that doesn’t mean the Avs won’t. 4 down, 12 more W’s to go!