Stanley Cup Playoffs 2014: Game One Preview – Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche

Jan 30, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) and defenseman Jan Hejda (8) fight Minnesota Wild center Kyle Brodziak (21) in the third period at the Pepsi Center. The Avalanche defeated the Wild 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The time has finally come, the first time the Colorado Avalanche have made the postseason for the first time since the 2009-10′ season where they would end up losing in the Conference Quarterfinals to the San Jose Sharks (4-2). This time is different, however. The team would end up winning 52 regular season games which is tied for the most in franchise history. The last Avalanche team to win 52 games in a season was the 2000-01′ Stanley Cup Champions led by Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, and Peter Forsberg. The Central Division Champion Colorado Avalanche will host the Minnesota Wild in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, beginning Thursday night.

What: Stanley Cup Playoffs 2014: Round One, Game One:  vs. 
When: Thursday, April 17th
Where: Pepsi Center
Time: 9:30 PM ET, 7:30 PM MT
TV: CNBC

The Colorado Avalanche would end up dominating the season series with the Minnesota Wild, coming away with four wins to Minnesota’s one. However, the games were fairly close:

Game 1: Avalanche 3, Wild 1.
Game 2: Wild 2, Avalanche 3.
Game 3: Wild 2, Avalanche 1.
Game 4: Avalanche 4, Wild 2.
Game 5: Wild 4, Avalanche 5.

In their most recent game back on Jan. 30th, Semyon Varlamov would face an abundant of shots, stopping 31-of-35 shots for a save percentage of .886. Ryan O’Reilly, John Mitchell, Paul Stastny, Maxime Talbot, and Nathan MacKinnon would each record a goal in the 5- 4 victory. The Wild made a comeback late in the third period while being down 4-1. Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund, and Jason Pominville made it interesting as each player picked up a goal in a comeback attempt that just came up short.

Projected Starting Goaltenders:

Minnesota Wild: Ilya Bryzgalov: 12-9-8, 2.68 GAA, .909% save percentage.

Colorado Avalanche: Semyon Varlamov: 41-14-6, 2.41 GAA, .927% save percentage.

Projected Lines for the Colorado Avalanche:

Line 1: Ryan O’Reilly – Nathan MacKinnon – P.A. Parenteau
Line 2: Gabriel Landeskog – Paul Stastny – Jamie McGinn
Line 3: Maxime Talbot – Marc-Andre Cliche – Cody McLeod
Line 4: Patrick Bordeleau – Brad Malone – Paul Carey

Defensive Pairings:

Pair 1: Jan Hejda – Erik Johnson
Pair 2: Tyson Barrie – Nick Holden
Pair 3: Andre Benoit – Nate Guenin

Team Leading Scorers:

Minnesota Wild:

Points: Jason Pominville (60)
Goals: Jason Pominville (30)
Assists: Mikko Koivu (43)
Plus/Minus: Ryan Suter (+15)

Colorado Avalanche:

Points: Matt Duchene (70)
Goals: Ryan O’Reilly (28)
Assists: Matt Duchene (47)
Plus/Minus: Gabriel Landeskog (+21)

Injury Update: Avalanche D Jan Hejda (hand) expected to play. C Matt Duchene (knee) and John Mitchell (concussion) out.