Games
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| Sakic, Avalanche top Wild in shootout COLORADO 4, MINNESOTA 3 (SO) |
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DENVER (Ticker) -- Captain Joe Sakic scored in both regulation and the shootout and Wojtek Wolski also tallied in the bonus format as the Colorado Avalanche skated to a 4-3 triumph over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. Jose Theodore stopped both attempts in the shootout and Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk also scored for Colorado (44-31-7), which moved past Calgary (42-30-10) to clinch the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Peter Forsberg added three assists for the Avalanche, who will face the Wild (44-28-10) in the conference quarterfinals. The seventh-seeded Flames will play the Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks (49-22-10). "For us, the playoffs started two or three months ago, and you just have to keep doing the same thing," Theodore said. "I think in the playoffs, everybody is going to have to step it up. You can have the best season in the world, and (in the) playoffs, you have to step it up. That's how the playoffs are played and that's how you have to approach it to have success." "It's great, I ended up on a good note here and we got a win," Forsberg said. "Now the fun starts. It's going to be tough. I think (Minnesota) can play much better than we played them today, so it's going to be hard." Mark Parrish and Brian Rolston scored and defenseman Keith Carney added his first goal of the season for Minnesota. "I figured hey, why not?" Carney said of his first tally. "I don't want to wait until next year. I want to get it in now." Statistics aside, Rolston expects a physical battle when the teams meet in the postseason. "We have a tough series ahead and it's going to be a real big battle, and we're playing a really good team," Rolston said. "Obviously, we've played them eight times, so (there are) no secrets. It's just a matter of going out and getting it done. "I'm sure there is going to be a little bit of the rough stuff in the playoffs because we're playing for the Stanley Cup. It's just the way it is. It's going to be a battle, and we understand that. Like I said, we're playing a good hockey team." In the bonus format, Wolski used several dekes before sliding the puck past goaltender Josh Harding and just inside the left goalpost. After Theodore denied defenseman Petteri Nummelin, Sakic wristed the puck past Harding to give Colorado a decisive advantage. Theodore, who finished with 34 saves, sealed the win by denying Pierre-Marc Bouchard with a pad save. Colorado scored twice on the power play in the third period, much to the pleasure of coach Joel Quenneville. "Both power-play units have been effective down the stretch, so I think it's much more dangerous than it's been at any point," Quenneville said. |
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