Look out for the Avalanche

Let's continue breaking down top teams and focus on Colorado and New Jersey.

Bob Hartley of the Avalanche and the Devils' Robbie Ftorek are new to the job. It's Hartley's first season as an NHL coach; Ftorek was with the Kings in the late 1980s.

Hartley's team has been among hockey's hottest, winning 12 consecutive games recently. It has adjusted to Hartley, who had a good knowledge of the team's players after coaching the Avs' top farm team.

Both teams are blessed with great talent in goal. Colorado's Patrick Roy, a three-time Stanley Cup winner, plays his best in big-game situations. The same can be said for Martin Brodeur, whose great play in '95 was key to the Devils' Cup win.

Sandis Ozolinsh's return has been the biggest factor in the team's turnaround. I said earlier this season that once Colorado got healthy and signed him, it would be a Cup favorite. Ozolinsh is a spark all teams love to have. He feeds the offense with his ability to move the puck, make plays and join the rush. And while the offense has benefited from his return, it also has developed a new look by teaming Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Together, Sakic and Forsberg give the Avs' top line a one-two punch few teams can stop. Also, Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh and Valeri Kamensky make the team dangerous at all times.

While the Devils have picked up their scoring pace under Ftorek, their defense has suffered. Former coach Jacques Lemaire's crushing trap system kept scoring down, but Ftorek has given the team license to take risks. The Devils' goals-against total has suffered, and Brodeur has been called on to carry a much heavier load. So far, he has handled it.

The Devils have struggled at home in recent games--Jason Arnott's scoring on the second line is a big question mark--but they have core players, especially on defense, who have won the Cup. Scott Niedermayer, like Ozolinsh, joins the rush and makes things happen. Scott Stevens is rugged and remains a great leader.

A finals pairing? The key would be how well the Avalanche can take advantage of the Devils' perceived lack of speed on defense.

Former NHL coach Mike Keenan is in his second season as an exclusive NHL analyst for THE SPORTING NEWS. E-mail him at keenan@sportingnews.com and look for his weekly e-mail bag at sportingnews.com.

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