BLOG: Oilers to test playoff mettle against the Avalanche

DENVER, CO -The Oilers are looking to check off one last box before they head into the postseason, defeating the defending Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche on Tuesday in Colorado.
So far this season, the two Western Conference Final combatants have played one another as tightly as two NHL powerhouses can. Both games between the rivals have gone to overtime, however it was the Avalanche who came away with the full two points in each contest.
Frustratingly for the Oilers, the Blue & Orange led by at least two goals in both games, until the playoff hardened Avalanche came back and snatched the victory in extra time. The two competitors will head into Tuesday night's game at Ball Arena as hot as they come, with Edmonton riding a 13-game point streak and Colorado having won five in a row.
The Oilers run of success has come as the bolts have been tightening on the backend, with only three goals allowed in their last five contest. It's a theme that Head Coach Jay Woodcroft is expecting to continue into tomorrow's titanic affair.
"I think that's a positive sign for our team. We've continuously worked on (the defence) throughout the season. I think specifically post-Christmas, if you were to look up chances against or high-danger chances against those type of numbers, we've seen some real positive traction and certainly in the last few games the goals against have been way down," he said. "I think it's a credit to everybody. Our goaltenders have played excellent, our D have played great, and our forwards are really committed to working back to our zone. I think that's a positive sign, but that's all in the past. We're about to play one of the best offensive teams in the world tomorrow, and we're going to get tested in different ways. We better be ready for it."

The Avalanche and Oilers have long locked up postseason berths, but with just a few contests remaining and the Pacific and Central Division titles tantalizingly in their grasp, don't expect either team to ease their way into Game 83. There is the added motivation for the visiting Oil to make a statement on Tuesday about their postseason intentions. Colorado has quietly blitzed their way back up the Western Conference standings after a mild playoff hangover, and looked poised to be the team to beat in the Western Conference. A win against the surging Avs, could be the shot across the bow needed to prove the Oilers are a team, if not the team to be reckoned with come next week.
"They're the defending cup champs, Every time you play those guys, you got to bring your best, you know that they're never going to go away. They are a hard-fought team, a team that obviously has a lot of skill," Stuart Skinner said after Monday's practice in Denver. "They know how to grind, they know how to work, they know how to win. That's why both overtimes, I think they beat us, right?"
"I know we got swept last year from these guys, so we definitely don't want to get swept in the regular season against them," the Oilers goaltender added. "It's going to be a big one for us tomorrow. A big game to kind of show us where we are as well, and I think it's going to be like a playoff game."

The Oilers know that come Game 1 of the playoffs, the puck drop will be at centre ice of a rocking Rogers Place. The Avalanche saw to that with their 4-3 defeat of the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, giving Edmonton a five-point lead over the California side with two games to play. However, if Edmonton can take care of business and Seattle can steal a pair of points from Vegas in their final two games, the Oilers could lock up home-ice advantage throughout the post season.
"We want to finish as high as we possibly can in the standings and tomorrow, we have a good team that also is looking to do the very same thing," Woodcroft said. "It should be a good game between two teams that know each other well, and that will be rested."
The same path is presented for the Avalanche, who are three points out of the Conference lead with three games left on their docket. Whoever comes out on top in Tuesday's matchup will likely have the home-ice edge if the two teams were to clash once again in the NHL Playoffs. First, the Oilers need to take care of the day's business - not to mention a couple rounds of playoffs - before they set their sights on a Western Final rematch.
"I think have a humble group, so we understand how good the National Hockey League is. The bottom line is next week, starting on Monday, the playoffs begin," Woodcroft said. "The league narrows from 32 teams to 16, so no matter where you are in the conference seating, you're going to draw a really good team. I think we've played well here post-Christmas, but I would say that we are very humble, and at the same time, we're pretty purposeful, so we want to make sure we finish as high as we can."