Offense vs. Defense in Colorado's First Round Matchup

The Colorado Avalanche is confident in its offensive abilities as the team prepares to face one of the best defensive clubs in the NHL in the first round of the playoffs.

"I think we're excited to get going, first and foremost," said Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog of the upcoming series against the Arizona Coyotes. "Obviously we've had a few games here leading up to this, and I think especially the St. Louis and Dallas games, we're really happy with the way we played. The last game maybe not as much, but now leading into a seven-game series, it'll be obviously more competitive, different outlook seeing the same team every single night. Arizona is a good team, no doubt. They're a very defensively-structured team, well coached, they have a lot of skill up front… So we'll have our hands full, no doubt."

In general manager Joe Sakic and head coach Jared Bednar's tenures at the helm of the franchise, the Avs have developed into a team that likes to use its speed to push the pace all over the ice and quickly transition the puck out of the defensive zone. Its roster for the 2020 postseason features the talent to do just that on all four forward lines and on defense, resulting in Colorado finishing the regular season ranked fourth in the NHL averaging 3.37 goals per game and sharing the league lead with 162 total tallies during 5-on-5 play.

Its Round 1 opponent was tied for the third-best goals against per game during the main campaign, allowing only 2.61 markers per contest, and its goaltenders combined to finish with the NHL's fourth-best goal-against average. In its first postseason trip since 2012, the Coyotes have been equally stingy.

In its best-of-five series in the Stanley Cup Qualifier, that defense frustrated the No. 5-seed Nashville Predators, who outshot the No. 11 Yotes each contest but had their season end after four games.

Landeskog said Tuesday that Arizona defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is one of the best blueliners in the league, and while that is certainly true for the team captain that is tied for the team lead with four points (one goal, three assists) and a plus-4 rating, goaltender Darcy Kuemper was a big reason for the Coyotes' success. Kuemper faced the most shots among any goalie during the qualifying round and produced a .933 save percentage--fifth-best among keepers that started at least three games.

While Colorado is at its best when on the rush, the players said they know they'll have to find other ways to score if Arizona takes away room at the blue line and neutral zone.

"I don't think we're a one-dimensional team. I think we're a dynamic group and if we can't score off the rush, we'll find other ways to produce and score," said Nazem Kadri, who has been centering a trio with Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin since the second day of thee Phase 3 Training Camp. "Our line in particular, I think we got speed, we got skill. A lot of our plays happen from the bottom of the circle down. That's the tough part about coaching against our team, we can bring different looks and that's definitely a confidence builder for us."

Bednar says his club knows what to expect from the Coyotes, but it will need to adapt its own game if it wants to extend its summer stay in Edmonton. In the playoffs, that means making changes between contests and on the fly during games.

"They check hard throughout their lineup, they have a real strong identity, being a tough, physical defending team, highly competitive, great goaltending," Bednar said. "I don't see anything surprising us here. This is a work-based team that plays the right way, is very well coached and we have to be prepared to work through the obstacles that they put in our way."

PRACTICE DAY

Colorado skated for the second straight day at Terwilliger Arena, and head coach Jared Bednar said he'll have his full roster available to him for Game 1 of Round 1.

Who those exact skaters will be won't be known until Wednesday as Bednar declined to reveal his lineup.

He also didn't say which goaltender will start, but he mentioned on Monday that he has already decided on a starter. Given that he started two of the three round-robin contests and based on some recent comments from Bednar, Philipp Grubauer is a strong possibility to guard the pipes first.

"I still consider him our starter based on what he's done and his short history with us," Bednar said of Grubauer last Wednesday. "You have to earn that title from me every day, and he continues to do that. He hasn't let us down on many occasions in the years he's been with us."

Bednar did say that he'll choose the starting goalie based on whoever plays the best, is rested and has the trust of team. For that last part, the coach noted that is certainly the case for both Grubauer and Pavel Francouz.

"It's not rocket science," Bednar said at the time. "It's just having trust in two guys, and someone has to have the net and if he does a real good job then he's likely to stay in."

FEELING THE LOVE

While their fans won't be in the stands at Edmonton's Rogers Place, the Avs know they'll have a big cheering section back home.

From social media posts to a produced video given to the club prior to its departure to the Western Conference hub city, the Avs faithful have shown their love for the squad.

"We feel the support from all around the world and all around the state of Colorado, we feel it," Landeskog said. "Whether it's through social media or people that you talk to or people you hear from, the support is there."