Teams making the 2012 Playoffs and how far they will go -NHL Special Part 2
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche is another one of those teams that have made a huge impression on the other franchises throughout the National Hockey League (NHL) and have had an impressive run in the 2011-2012 regular season.
2010-2011 was definitely an embarrassing hockey year for the Colorado team as they ended as one of the lowest ranked throughout, but now, the Avalanche are definitely going into the postseason with full throttle.
One of the biggest reasons for the Colorado has to be second-overall draft pick, Gabriel Landeskog, who has taken the whole fan base by storm with his name all over the place with huge expectations from the young left winger. Some are even pointing fingers
towards him to take the club to a Stanley Cup championship in his first major league career season.
With a 47 record so far consisting of 21 goals and 26 assists and being as consistent by having played 75 games so far, Landeskog has definitely established himself as one of the best youngsters with the ability to tackle any competition in front.
Another aspect to the Colorado playoff push is their steadfast and dedicating goaltending. With goalies like Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Semyon Varlamov in front of the net, the Avalanche have the perfect combination of veteran experience in the most tense
of situations along with a young and energetic goalie in the form of the latter.
It might not be easy seeing Colorado make a deep push in the Western Conference playoff series with a number of teams like Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, all of which are tremendously experienced in postseason performances,
but Avalanche does have potential. Touching that potential and being able to use it to their advantage will be the key to their victories.
With nearly 14 seasons of experience in the major league and his first with Colorado Avalanche coming from the Toronto Maple Leafs and teams like Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames, Jean-Sebastien Giguere have given the team something to look forward to when
they enter the playoffs this time around.
Varlamov also joined Colorado this season after three straight with Washington Capitals and having experience with a top class team, the 23-year-old Russian goalie is finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of the league’s youngest and greatest
in front of the net.
If Colorado can continue to play like they have been doing this season, the Avalanche could seriously go far into the postseason and make a run for the Stanley Cup depending on who they face throughout the stages.
Colorado would be facing Vancouver in the first round of the postseason being the seventh number team, and seeing how both teams have played off during the season, it would be one of the most exciting series.
St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche are 2-2 in the season with the latter winning the first two meetings, meaning that the Western Conference quarterfinals could be decided in game-five in not for game-seven due to the intensity of the competition. Even
though St. Louis ranks first overall, Colorado should hope of meeting them first and getting them out of the way for a huge boost in what they could be capable of later in the 2012 NHL playoffs.
Seeing how Colorado continues and where they will end the season off will unquestionably be exciting to watch.
To be continued in Part 3....
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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