This series really could go either way but I’m leaning toward San Jose around 66%. I think the Avalanche win this series 1 in 3 times. Finding a way to get the offense and the defense going at the same time seems to be the largest obstacle for Colorado right now.
For the Avalanche faithful who watched Andy carry this team from the season’s opener versus these Sharks at Pepsi Center (a 5-2 win) all the way to a playoff birth, through two epic games in San Jose, and back to Pepsi Center for a crucial Game 3 win, Craig Anderson has come full circle.
This one is a game to think about and then forget. Every time the Avs had a chance to put the game out of reach they made a mental mistake and let the Sharks back in. More important is the way the Sharks won… the constant comebacks will give them confidence in future games. I think that the Avs just lost this series. It will take a perfect game or a crushing comeback to save the Avs at this point.
The Avalanche blocked shots, scrapped mightily for pucks, matched the physical Sharks hit-for-hit all game long, and rolled their 3rd & 4th lines with the same regularity as their 1st & 2nd lines, especially in the first half of the game. Only 4 of 18 Colorado players failed to log a shot through this total team effort.
Unfortunately, the big win against the West’s best team was marred by a dirty blind-side hit on Mueller by ex-Av Rob Blake. You may remember Blake as the shifty creep who screwed the Avalanche into paying him while he played for the LA Kings. Now, he will also be remembered as the slow old defender who couldn’t keep up with Mueller and the rest of the speedy Avalanche forwards… so he took the coward’s way out again.
