| Kostya Kennedy's Breakdown |
|---|
| Dallas |
|
Colorado |
| Now that Joe Nieuwendyk is in the flow -- he scored his fourth
goal of the playoffs in Game 5 against the Sharks -- Dallas has its front-line
forwards working. Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull and Mike Modano have
to continue to shoulder the scoring load against the explosive
Avalanche. |
OFFENSE The Edge:
 |
Suddenly he's Forsberg the finisher. The Avalanche's deep cast of
offensive players gets so much stronger when Peter Forsberg, their best
player, is potting the puck consistently. And that's what he's
doing. |
|
| The return of forward Jere Lehtinen, a perennial Selke Trophy
candidate, makes this defensively responsible club even more so. Dallas is
brilliant at stopping teams before they have a chance to get up ice. Then, when
the Stars get a lead, they're brutally
effective. |
DEFENSE The Edge:
 |
Underrated blueliners Jon Klemm and Aaron Miller
played exceptionally well against the Red Wings, rallying to top form when
Ray Bourque went out with his knee injury. Adam Foote continues to
play like an All-Star, but the Avalanche needs to get Bourque back at some
point. |
|
| When the Stars suffered some rare defensive lapses in Game 5 against
San Jose, Ed Belfour saved them time and again. He's coming off last
year's impressive Stanley Cup run, two shutouts in this year's second round, and
is the hottest playoff goalie in the
land. |
IN GOAL The Edge:
None |
The Avalanche might have beaten Detroit anyway, but it was
Patrick Roy's brilliance that set the tone for a convincing five-game
decision. He held Detroit to just one goal in the first two games and was his
usual unflappable self when the Wings stepped up the pressure. Dallas has little
hope of rattling
him. |
|
| The Dallas power play returned to excellent form when defenseman
Sergei Zubov came back from a knee injury to man the point in the San Jose
series. Around the net, Hull is one of the most dangerous power play forces in
the
league. |
PP The Edge:
|
Always dangerous, this group gets scary when Bourque's playing next
to superb puck-carrier Sandis Ozolinsh. If Bourque's in the lineup, the
battle of the Avs' power play against the Stars first-rate penalty killers could
be the key to the
series. |
|
| As I mentioned in my breakdown of the San Jose-Dallas series, the Stars
are the best in the league. Their effectiveness is two-pronged: A) They
allow very few good shots to reach Belfour and B) they're so good that
they intimidate teams into making sloppy
mistakes. |
PK The Edge:
|
A decent group that's explosive enough to turn the puck the other
way. Joe Sakic has been splendid on the penalty kill. Colorado takes
more risks than most teams, which makes the Avalanche fun to
watch. |
|
| Ken Hitchcock has already begun motivating his troops. He has
labeled the Stars "underdogs" in this series even though they're the
defending Stanley Cup champions and have the first two games at home. Whether up
or down in the series, Hitch's team will be mentally ready for every
game. |
COACH The Edge:
|
Bob Hartley's tinkering with line combinations has worked
extremely well. That means his players go where he tells them to go without
question. If Colorado gets down, Hartley has to be careful to keep his
cool. |
|
| With Zubov and Lehtinen back, this team is as close to fully healthy as
it's been all year. Considering the success it's had while under-manned, the key
returnees might make the Stars feel
invincible. |
INTANGIBLES The Edge:
|
They have the speed to buzz through the Stars' grit. They also have
the Bourque factor: His presence will be a motivator as long as Colorado lasts
in these
playoffs. |
|
| Nieuwendyk: He must continue contributing offensively to give Dallas
balance in its attack. Lehtinen: After a long layoff, he'll be expected to
thrive in the Stars' most intense games of the
year. |
X-FACTOR The Edge:
|
Forsberg: He was easily the most dominating skater in the Detroit
series and if he performs like that again, the Avalanche could control play when
he's on the
ice. |
| Kennedy's Prediction: Dallas in 7 |
|---|
| |
