Fast and furious: with two speedy scorers joining reigning MVP Peter Forsberg and the Avalanche, look for Colorado to race to a 10th straight division crown - Western Conference: Northwest Division

Hockey Digest, Nov, 2003 by Adrian Dater

THE COLORADO AVALANCHE LED the Northwest Division for only two days last season: the first and the last.

The Avs played the classic tortoise to the Vancouver Canucks' hare, whose late-season stop-and-rest routine allowed Colorado to slip across the division finish line first for an NHL record ninth straight time.

Regardless of whether the Avalanche win a 10th straight division crown this year, nobody is likely to compare its style of play to that of a tortoise. With newly acquired speed merchants Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne joining a lineup that already includes Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, and Milan Hejduk, the Avs will play hockey the fast and furious way.

Not since the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins has there been a top-six group of forwards as scary looking as the group Colorado will send out on a nightly basis. It includes two Hart Trophy winners (Forsberg and Sakic) and four 50-goal scorers (Sakic, Hejduk, Kariya, and Selanne).

If the Avs were a Zamboni, they would be the one with the souped-up, 6,000-horsepower, nitromethane engine and flaming hot-rod decals on the side.

But will all that offensive juice be enough to win a Stanley Cup? This is a team, after all, that lost the greatest goalie of all time over the summer in Patrick Roy, and now must look to unproven Swiss netminder David Aebischer.

Division tenant Minnesota Wild painfully proved to Colorado in last spring's first round of the playoffs that good team defense can beat a more talented offense. The Wild proved it again in the second round against Vancouver. Only an equally tenacious defensive system kept the Wild from going to the Stanley Cup Finals, and Minnesota returns hungry to take that next step.

The Canucks again will be a difficult team to beat, led by their all-world first line of Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, and Brendan Morrison. But what about goaltending? Once again, Dan Cloutier suffered a playoff meltdown, but the Canucks re-signed him anyway.

As usual, Edmonton and Calgary will be around to put up a good fight, but there's no way either team will be able to keep up with the other three division powers.

1. Colorado Avalanche

MEMO TO GAMBLERS: TAKE THE "over" on Avs games this year. The Avs may not win the Cup, but they should be darned exciting to watch. The offensive talent on hand is genuinely frightening, thanks to the tag-team addition of Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne to an already imposing lineup. Still, there is a big question mark where there hasn't been for the last eight years in Denver--in goal.

On the attack: The longest two minutes in hockey--if it ever goes that far--figure to be when opponents have to face down the Avs power play. Colorado's arsenal is so scary, Selanne and Kariya might well be part of the team's second unit. The Avs figure to ice a second line of Joe Sakic, Kariya, and Selanne. The first line of Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, and Alex Tanguay was dominant last season, with Forsberg winning his first Hart Trophy and Hejduk leading the league with 50 goals.

Under fire: The Avs lost dependable veteran Greg de Vries to free agency but believe the addition of Karlis Skrastins from Nashville will offset his loss. Otherwise, veterans Rob Blake, Adam Foote, and Derek Morris compare favorably to any team's top three, and mercurial youngster Martin Skoula hopes to even out his game more. The Avs hope to get more out of Blake, who had his lowest-scoring season since 1998-99 and whose penalty in the waning minutes of Game 7 against Minnesota helped blow the series.

Between the pipes: There is major concern now that Roy has retired, leaving Aebischer and rookie Phil Sauve as the heirs apparent. Aebischer figures to get the No. 1 job, but he'll have to overcome his tendency toward shaky starts. Should either falter--and perhaps even if they don't--look for GM Pierre Lacroix to make one of his patented deadline deals.

Behind the bench: Tony Granato did an admirable job righting the Avs' listing ship when he took over for Bob Hartley. But the final impression Avs fans have of the likable Granato is him walking off the ice a loser to Minnesota in the first round. The addition of Kariya and Selanne puts even more pressure on Granato to deliver a Cup.

Bottom line: What a team this will be to watch. If they get any kind of goaltending, a division rifle and Stanley Cup should follow.

2. Vancouver Canucks

IT WAS ALL RIGHT THERE: A 2-0 lead late in the second period of Game 7 against Minnesota and a seemingly sure trip to the conference finals And then it all fell apart. The Canucks' weaknesses were all exposed in the ghastly final 21 minutes of their season by the Wild, who scored four straight goals to eliminate Vancouver. Unfortunately for Canucks fans, goalie Dan Cloutier is back. Despite an exciting offense and capable defense, the doubts won't go away until the goaltending issue is addressed.

On the attack: The top line of Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, and Brendan Morrison was the highest-scoring trio in the NHL and there's no reason to think they won't do it again. While Vancouver's second line doesn't compare to Colorado's, the Canucks have four well-balanced lines that move the puck and create chances. The loss of veteran Trent Klatt will hurt the power play, but there is still plenty of juice left. It is starting to become put-up-or-shut-up time for the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik.