Series Matchups
- STANLEY CUP FINAL
- Carolina vs Edmonton
- ROUND THREE
- Western Conference
- Anaheim vs Edmonton
- Eastern Conference
- Carolina vs Buffalo
- ROUND TWO
- Western Conference
- San Jose vs Edmonton
- Anaheim vs Colorado
- Eastern Conference
- Ottawa vs Buffalo
- Carolina vs New Jersey
- ROUND ONE
- Western Conference
- Detroit vs Edmonton
- Dallas vs Colorado
- Calgary vs Anaheim
- Nashville vs San Jose
- Eastern Conference
- Ottawa vs Tampa Bay
- Carolina vs Montreal
- New Jersey vs NY Rangers
- Buffalo vs Philadelphia
|
VS |
|
| Colorado wins the best-of-seven series 4-1 | ||
Dallas (2)
Colorado (7)
Avalanche hand Stars final blow
The Colorado Avalanche had the Dallas Stars on the ropes in their Stanley Cup playoff series, and Andrew Brunette delivered the knockout punch. » FULL STORY
Past Stories
- Avalanche's Steve Konowalchuk cleared to play
- Stars avoid Avalanche sweep
- Avalanche prevail over Stars in OT
- Sakic lifts Avalanche in overtime
- Avalanche blue-line pain for Stars
- Avalanche upend tentative Stars
- Stars aim to be best in West
- Avalanche end season with a loss
- Stars edged by rival Red Wings
TEAM ANALYSIS
| Strengths | Weaknesses | Key Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Stars |
The Stars have balanced scoring and can beat teams with more than just one line. Mike Modano and Jason Arnott centre Dallas's two most productive lines and will present matchup problems to opposing teams intent on stopping them. However, teams will also have to pay close attention to defenceman Sergei Zubov, who remains in top form despite being one of the older players on the Dallas roster. The 35-year-old veteran ranked second in league scoring for defencemen with 71 points while still averaging more than 26 minutes of ice time per game. |
The Stars tied for fourth in goals scored in the Western Conference yet didn't have a productive power play unit. Modano, Arnott and Jere Lehtinen were the only Stars to reach double digits in power-play goals and the trio will be challenged to improve in the playoffs when opposing teams pay close attention to special teams. With the NHL's promise to keep cracking down on obstruction penalties through the playoffs, an inept power play could present big problems for the Stars. |
Marty Turco: Turco had his best season as a pro: his 41 wins ranked third in the NHL. The 30-year-old finished the year strong, winning nine of his last 14 games while posting a 2.37 goals-against average after the Olympic break. However, Turco's success should be tempered by his .898 save percentage, good for only 29th in the NHL. With the goaltending position so important in the playoffs, the Stars can't afford Turco to struggle for any length of time. |
| Colorado Avalanche |
The Avalanche had the second-best power play in the Western Conference and won't be an easy team to eliminate if it continues to capitalize with the man advantage. Led by right-winger Milan Hejduk, Colorado's power-play efficiency is one of the main reasons this team made the post-season. The problem Dallas faces in the first round is Joe Sakic's uncanny ability to control the play from the point position. |
The Avalanche acquired José Theodore from Montreal the night before the trade deadline, but the position remains a great concern to the organization. Theodore, who only returned to action April 9 after fracturing his right heel during the Olympic break, hasn't been the same since he won the league's MVP award in 2002. Should Theodore falter, Colorado may turn to backup Peter Budaj (14-10-6) as an alternative. |
José Theodore: Theodore is possibly the biggest wild card of any player heading into the playoffs. The former Montreal standout dazzled fans with past playoff performances and has the ability to carry a team on his shoulders. Though Theodore has frustrated teammates with his erratic play over the last two seasons, Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix is banking on his 29-year-old goaltender returning to past glory. |
STATISTICS
| DALLAS STARS GOALIES | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | GA | SV% | GAA | ||||
| Marty Turco | 5 | 1 | 4 | 18 | .868 | 3.39 | |||
| Johan Hedberg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| DALLAS STARS TOP SCORERS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW | |
| Brenden Morrow | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Sergei Zubov | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Jere Lehtinen | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bill Guerin | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike Modano | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| DALLAS STARS INJURIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Traverse | ankle | indefinitely |
| COLORADO AVALANCHE GOALIES | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | GA | SV% | GAA | ||||
| Jose Theodore | 9 | 4 | 5 | 29 | .902 | 3.04 | |||
| Peter Budaj | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| COLORADO AVALANCHE TOP SCORERS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW | |
| Joe Sakic | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -1 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Andrew Brunette | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -2 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Milan Hejduk | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Tanguay | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| Jim Dowd | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| COLORADO AVALANCHE INJURIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Steve Konowalchuk | groin | day-to-day |
| Marek Svatos | shoulder | out for season |
| Ossi Vaananen | ankle | indefinitely |
Goalie statistics: GP=Games played, W=Wins, L=Losses, GA=Goals against, SV=Saves, SH=Shutouts, SV%=Save percentage, GAA=Goals-against average
Player statistics: GP=Games played, G=Goals, A=Assists, P=Points, +/-=Plus/Minus, PIM=Penalty Minutes, PP= Power-play goals, GW=Game-winning goals
Team statistics: GF=Goals for, GA=Goals against, PP= Power-play efficiency, PK= Penalty-killing efficiency. NB: Team statistics are from the 82-game regular season. Ranking is out of 30 teams.
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